PASADENA, Calif. — The Caltech men's basketball team competed in its final non-conference game of the season on Saturday afternoon as the Beavers dueled the Emmanuel College Saints in a home clash. The meeting was Caltech's final home game for a two-week span as they take on two opponents on the road before returning to Braun Gymnasium on Jan. 13.

It was the visiting Saints who struck first in the contest's opening possession, though Caltech quickly responded as sophomore guard Noah Hicks (Oxford, Ga. / George Walton Academy) found junior wing-forward Evan Portnoi (Short Hills, N.J. / Northfield Mount Hermon) for a shot behind the arc to put the Beavers on top.

Emmanuel re-took the lead at the 17:48 mark and stayed in front, though the home team continued to fight before the first half buzzer sounded.

Caltech opened the second half with four straight points as first-year guard Andy Li (Austin, Tex. / St. Stephen's Episcopal) drained a good jumper before Hicks connected on a pair of free throws their next trip down the court. Three more free throws from Hicks at the 17:26 mark put Caltech within four possessions of the Saints, though the guests kept the lead for the remainder of the contest despite a valiant effort from the Beavers on both ends.

Caltech finished the game with 16 free throws to Emmanuel's six; the Beavers shot .800 from the line while the visitors shot .462.

The Beavers earned a season-high 11 steals across the 40 minutes of action. They scored 24 points off Emmanuel turnovers and seven second-chance points to the Saints' four.

Hicks led the squad in scoring with 16 points after connecting on five field goals with one triple and going a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe. The sophomore tied for the most assists among all players with three and led Caltech in steals with three.

First-year wing-forward Ryan Hu (Bellevue, Wash. / Newport) scored 14 points in 21 minutes; the newcomer went 2-for-5 from deep with another two-pointer in addition to a 6-for-7 performance from the free throw line.

First-year forward Matt Cantor (Bayside, N.Y. / Townsend Harris) led the team in rebounds, with five.

Head coach Dr. Oliver Eslinger and the program will now focus purely on conference play as they take on opponents in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). The group will hit the road as they face the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags this Saturday, Jan. 6 at 2 p.m; follow the action online at gocaltech.com/coverage.

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