PASADENA, Calif. – The Caltech men's basketball team wrapped the 2024 calendar year with a home game against the Cardinals of Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, treating fans to an entertaining matchup with solid team efforts on both sides.

Leading both teams in the scoring column was Caltech rookie Chase Williamson (McDonough, Ga. / Union Grove), with a career-high 29 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Williamson caught fire with 10 points in a two-minute span early in the game with a trio of three-pointers, drawing fouls on two of them and converting the ensuing free throws for a rare feat of two four-point plays in a game. The surge propelled the Beavers a 19-12 lead just under seven minutes into the contest. He finished 8-for-9 from the free throw line and totalled eight field goals with five of them behind the arc.

Junior Noah Hicks (Oxford, Ga. / George Walton Academy) followed Williamson with 11 points, hitting all three of his free throw attempts and adding four boards and two steals.

The Beavers equalled the Cardinals' bench in scoring with each team's reserves contributing 21 points. Sophomore Andrew Koclanes (Denver / Colorado Academy) led the Beavers' bench with eight points including a pair of threes and a game-high five assists. He picked up six rebounds in the game, as did classmate Matt Cantor (Bayside, N.Y. / Townsend Harris) who tallied seven points, dished out an assist and picked up a steal. Fellow sophomore Ryan Hu (Bellevue, Wash. / Newport) followed with six points, two assists and three rebounds.

Head Coach Dr. Oliver Eslinger and the Beavers will resume SCIAC play on Saturday afternoon, hosting local rival Occidental College at 4 p.m. at Braun Gymnasium.