PASADENA, Calif. – Caltech Men's Basketball faced off against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges Saturday afternoon in both teams' second game of the 2023-24 SCIAC campaign.
The Beavers faced a tough matchup against the Sagehens, currently ranked 25th in the D3hoops.com national poll, but the hosts put forth some great individual performances in their last home game before fall final exams.
Stymied initially by the guests' stingy defense, senior Leo Williams (Southfield, Mich. / Wylie E. Groves) put the Beavers on the scoreboard with a gorgeous three-pointer with an assist from sophomore Noah Hicks (Oxford, Ga. / George Walton Academy). Coming off the bench to lead the Beavers in first half scoring was first-year Pranit Gunjal (Newark, Del. / Newark Charter), sinking a trio of jumpers to keep Caltech in the game.
Hicks then led both teams in scoring during the second half, including the Beavers' first 12 points after the break. Gunjal followed with another couple of field goals and rookie Andrew Koclanes (Denver / Colorado Academy) capped the day with a three-pointer.
The Caltech bench outscored the Sagehens' reserves 15-14, as Gunjal led with 10 points in his 16 minutes on the floor, hitting five of his seven attempts from the field, also picking up a rebound and a steal. Hicks led the Beavers with 14 points, further contributing two assists. Junior Riley Wood (Richmond, Va. / St. Christopher's School) was Caltech's top rebounder with 7.
Head Coach Dr. Oliver Eslinger and the Beavers will return to Braun Gymnasium on Saturday, December 16 to host Albion College in a rematch of their 2023 Midway Classic pairing. Follow the team on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).
