PASADENA, Calif. – Caltech Men's Basketball opened SCIAC play Wednesday night in front of a jam-packed Braun Gymnasium crowd Wednesday night, hosting the Leopards from the University of La Verne.

Highlighting the night was junior forward Riley Wood, (Richmond, Va. / St. Christopher's School), who posted a double-double of career-highs for points (18) and rebounds (20), the most of any Caltech or La Verne player on the night.

"There were some great individual performances tonight," Head Coach Dr. Oliver Eslinger said. "And it was great for our guys to experience how good and intense our conference is."

Junior wing Evan Portnoi (Short Hills, N.J. / Northfield Mount Hermon) put the Beavers on the board with a close-range jumper after the guests scored the opening basket. Sophomore guard and D3hoops.com Team of the Week honoree Noah Hicks (Oxford, Ga. / George Walton Academy) hit a three-pointer to give Caltech an early lead.

First-year wing Ryan Hu (Bellevue, Wash. / Newport) scored next for the Beavers by blocking a shot, grabbing the rebound and sinking a jumper on the ensuing fastbreak. He led his team in scoring in the first half with 10 total points, en route to a 14-point night in addition to four total rebounds, an assist and a steal.

The 19-31 first half scoring deficit ended up being the difference in the contest, as the Beavers matched the Leopards for a high-powered 36-36 second half.

Hicks also finished in double-figure points with 14, along with a steal and three boards. Rookie forward Matt Cantor (Bayside, N.Y. / Townsend Harris) collected eight rebounds and blocked a La Verne shot.

Eslinger and the Beavers will continue their SCIAC campaign Saturday afternoon at home against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges. Find live stats and video at https://gocaltech.com/coverage