PASADENA, Calif. — The Caltech women's basketball team earned its third straight win and fifth win in six games on Wednesday night as they topped the visiting Chapman University Panthers, 75-69.
The Beavers established dominance in the opening minutes, first trading baskets with the guests before blasting ahead with an 11-2 scoring run for a 15-6 lead. The Panthers clawed back but Caltech still led 20-16 after the opening quarter.
Chapman came back in the next period, tying the game 23-23 at the 7:30 mark and gaining the lead twice before Kathryn Edwards (Centennial, Colo. Arapahoe) sunk a layup to give Caltech a 29-28 edge. The Beavers stayed in front for the rest of the contest, their lead peaking at 10 points late in the third quarter and withstanding a Chapman surge in the final frame to prevail 75-69. It was Caltech's third win in a row and the fifth of the last six games.
"We took care of the ball and stayed resilient all game long through the ups and downs," Head Coach Annie Tarakchian said. "Chapman is a great team and they play hard all 40 minutes, so I'm really glad we were able to pull this one out. Now that we are in the thick of SCIAC play, we have to learn from every win and loss and continue to build towards the success we want."
Edwards posted one of the strongest shooting nights of her career, going 9-for-12 and 7-for-11 from the free throw line for a game-high 25 points – just one shy of her season high. The standout finished the evening just one rebound short of a double-double after bringing down a team-high nine boards.
Hope Arnett (Torrance, Calif. Chadwick School), who won SCIAC Defensive Athlete of the Week for her 10-steal performance last Saturday, notched a team-high four steals. The veteran has now recorded three or more steals in all but one game this season. Arnett led all players in assists, with four and added 11 points on 3-for-6 shooting (1-for-3 3PT, 4-for-6 FT).
Saumya Chauhan (Fremont, Calif. Mission San Jose) scored 14 points on 3-for-6 shooting (8-for-12 FT).
Caltech shot a season-best from the field (.481) on 25 field goals while the guests shot .351 with 20 makes. The Beavers shot .375 from beyond the arc; the visitors shot .278.
The home team made a season-high 22 free throws and recorded 13 assists to Chapman's 11.
The Beavers did an excellent job protecting the basketball, registering a season-best nine turnovers to the Panthers' 16. Caltech scored 19 points off turnovers to their opponents' eight.
Tarakchian and the Beavers return to Braun Gym on Saturday morning for the Caltech Women's Basketball Alumni Game at 10 a.m., followed by another SCIAC duel against Whittier College at 4 p.m.
