LA VERNE, Calif. — The Caltech women's basketball team competed in its first in-conference matchup of the season on Wednesday as the squad took on the University of La Verne Leopards in an evening showdown on the road.

It was a close and high-energy battle for the majority of the contest, which saw seven ties and a series of lead changes across the 40 minutes of action. It was a two-point ball game with 7:33 left in the game before the Leopards pulled ahead for the victory.

Caltech scored the first points of the game as senior guard Hope Arnett (Torrance, Calif. / Chadwick School) splashed a 3-pointer just 17 seconds into the matchup after junior guard Saumya Chauhan (Fremont, Calif. / Mission San Jose) found her teammate behind the arc.

La Verne soon tied the score at 3-3 before taking the lead for the remainder of the period, though Caltech stayed within two possessions of the home squad for the entirety of the quarter. A made free throw from senior guard Milan Robinson (Anaheim, Calif. / Fairmont Prep) with one second to go in the first put Caltech down 18-15 as the quarter came to a close.

The Leopards scored the first bucket of the second quarter though the Beavers responded with an incredible 8-0 run in less than 90 seconds to take a 23-20 lead. Chauhan kicked off the scoring with a good triple at the 9:30 mark before Robinson connected on a strong layup in the paint. Chauhan then scored yet again on the next offensive possession, finishing through contact to score the and-1 layup. The junior drained the free throw to make it a three-point play.

La Verne regained the lead at 25-23 before Caltech took it back at 30-28 off a good trey from junior guard-forward Kathryn Edwards (Centenniel, Colo. / Arapahoe). The standout drained her second a few minutes later to put the Beavers up 33-28. The home team took the lead as the two teams entered halftime, with the Leopards on top 38-35.

Edwards scored her third 3-pointer of the day to open the third quarter, tying the contest at 38-38, though La Verne came back with some offense of their own as they pulled ahead by eight. The Beavers answered with a nice 12-4 run, however, to tie the game at 50-50. Highlighting the action was a fastbreak three-pointer by junior guard Maria Vazhaeparambil (Saratoga, Calif. / The Harker School) off a steal from Arnett and a fastbreak jumper from Arnett off a steal by Vazhaeparambil. Junior guard Kodie Vondra (Livingston, Mont. / Park) downed a shot from three to tie the game.

The Beavers began the final period down just four before coming within two of the Leopards after Vazhaeparambil made three straight free throws, though La Verne pulled ahead down the stretch before Caltech could answer back.

Caltech outperformed La Verne in assists (14 to 13), steals (12 to 10), blocks (three to one), turnovers (14 to 16) and 3-pointers (nine to six) while also shooting a higher percentage from deep.

The Institute earned 22 of its points in the paint and scored 20 points off opponent turnovers.

The Beavers' 61 points is the second-most scored by the team this season.

Arnett registered an impressive shooting night as she went 7-for-13 from the field with a three and buried one of her two free throws for a team-high 16 points. The senior also showed out on the defensive end as she picked up a season-high in steals and the most steals by a Caltech player this season (six).

Edwards finished the night with 15 points as she connected for three long balls in addition to three field goals inside the arc. The Colorado native ended the game just one rebound shy of a double-double; her nine rebounds led the team and is the most by a Beaver in a game this campaign. Robinson tied all players on both teams in assists, with four.

Head coach Annie Tarakchian and the squad will now focus on its conference home opener this Saturday, Dec. 2 as the group welcomes the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens for a 4 p.m. clash. Cheer on the Beavers in person or follow along online at gocaltech.com/coverage.

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