The Caltech women's basketball team went to battle against Cal Lutheran Regals on Saturday in a hard-fought conference matchup. The Beavers were led by sophomore guard-forward Kathryn Edwards and senior guard Faith Pinney, who put up 16 and 14 points, respectively. Sophomore guard Maria Vazhaeparambil posted 13 points off the bench, one shy of her season high.
As part of a busy day at Braun Athletic Center and Caltech Basketball Alumni Day, the team kicked off the festivities with a rousing exhibition game featuring several Caltech Women's Basketball alumni, followed by other late morning events before tipping off against their SCIAC rivals in the afternoon.
The Regals began the game on a quick 8-2 start, but this was short-lived as the Beavers immediately fought back to make it 12-10 game. Caltech hung with the visitors for a little while as the first break neared, though a 6-0 run by Cal Lutheran in the final minute put them up ten at the first intermission.
The first bucket of the second quarter belonged to the Beavers as Vazhaeparambil finished on a nice layup, though this began a scoring drought for the orange who could not seem to find the bottom of the net. Two free throws by Pinney re-energized the squad, but they were unable to close the gap as the halftime buzzer sounded. The Beavers fought hard throughout the third and fourth quarters, but could not overcome the lead built by the Regals.
Though the Beavers could not get shots to fall, they were excellent at protecting the basketball. The team gave up a mere 10 turnovers in the game, tying their season low.
The group also nabbed seven steals to the Regals' four and excelled in points off turnovers, scoring 12 on those extra possessions.
Also worthy of attention was the Beavers' excellent performance at the free throw line, where they shot a solid 15-for-20 for their third most made free throws in a game this season. Their 75.0% percentage from the line is their highest this season when facing a conference opponent.
Edwards added nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Pinney recorded a season-high eight rebounds and a steal. Both players connected on a pair of three-pointers. Vazhaeparambil led all players with three steals in the contest.
Head Coach Annie Tarakchian and the Beavers will return to competition after midterms in a road game at Whittier College on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 2 p.m.
