PASADENA, Calif. — The Caltech women's basketball team hosted its first interconference matchup of the season on Wednesday night as the squad took on the University of Redlands.

Caltech entered the matchup with a 4-1 record, marking the best start through five games in program history. The team fought hard against the Bulldogs, tying the third quarter 18-18 and winning the fourth quarter at 14-11, but ultimately dropped the contest by a score of 68-56.

Senior forward Kathryn Edwards (Centennial, Colo. / Arapahoe) continued her impressive season finishing as the team's leading scorer with 14 points, though her impact was even more visible on the defensive end as she collected a career-high five blocks to go with five steals. The standout led all players in both categories; Edwards single-handedly blocked more shots than all of the Bulldogs combined. Edwards wrapped up the night with one assist and a team-high nine rebounds to finish just shy of a double-double.

First-year guard Kyra Phaychanpheng (Chino Hills, Calif. / Chino Hills) put up 13 points of her own and finished as the second-leading scorer for the group. The newcomer made impact plays all night for the Beavers, dishing out a key assist and grabbing six rebounds in addition to snatching a steal which she took all the way to the basket, connecting on the fastbreak layup and getting fouled in the process. The Beaver calmly drained the free throw to complete the three-point play.

Caltech trailed 39-24 at the break, but the team kicked off the second half with a much-needed offensive spark to stay in the game. The Beavers created a number of good shots in the third quarter, shooting .538 from the field and scoring 18 points while limiting the Bulldogs to just shooting just .333 in the quarter.

The Beavers' impressive play in the third quarter was due in part to the 3-pointers they knocked down, with Edwards hitting a massive trey early in the quarter to get things going. Play continued and first-year center Louise Scriven (Paraparaumu Beach, New Zealand / Paraparaumu College) followed by first-year guard Zeynep Goktepe (Istanbul, Turkey / The MacDuffie School) each knocked down a three in the quarter. Goktepe wrapped up the night with seven points to go with seven boards and an assist.

First-year guard Carolyn Ruan (Cupertino, Calif. / Monta Vista) assisted on one of those third quarter deep shots as part of a three-assist night. The rookie ended the evening with seven points. First-year guard Anamaria Robertson (Petaluma, Calif. / Casa Grande) finished with seven points, two rebounds and a dime in 22 minutes; she drilled two of her three shots from behind the arc.

Although the Beavers were not able to complete the comeback, they outperformed the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter and second half. After a strong showing in the third, Caltech outscored the Bulldogs 14-11 in the final ten minutes.

The Beavers tallied 22 points in the paint and 15 points off turnovers; they shot .368 from deep on 19 attempts and connected on five of their six free throw attempts.

Head coach Annie Tarakchian and the team will now compete in their first road matchup against a SCIAC opponent this season as they take on Chapman University this Saturday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. Follow the action online at GoCaltech.com/coverage.

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