PASADENA, Calif. — Caltech Men's Basketball took on the University of Redlands Bulldogs on Wednesday night in the Beavers' final home matchup of the 2023-24 campaign.

Caltech scored the first points of the contest as first-year guard-wing Andrew Koclanes (Denver / Colorado Academy) found classmate and forward Matt Cantor (Bayside, N.Y. / Townsend Harris) underneath the hoop for a good layup.

The visitors matched with a bucket of their own, though the Beavers immediately responded as first-year Ryan Hu (Bellevue, Wash. / Newport) drained a shot from behind the arc, with Koclanes again distributing.

The two teams continued to battle as action continued, with Caltech getting within one possession at the 15:47 mark as Koclanes picked up a third assist via a pass to sophomore guard Noah Hicks (Oxford, Ga. / George Walton Academy), who finished a layup.

Redlands jumped ahead by two possessions though Caltech soon answered back, as Hicks drew the defense before finding Hu behind the arc. The newcomer calmly drained his second 3-pointer of the night to put Caltech down just a point at 13-12.

The Bulldogs pulled ahead as the half went on, though the Beavers fought valiantly before the halftime buzzer expired.

The guests returned from the break with the first field goal of the second half, though the Beavers scored points on the next possession by route of two made free throws from junior wing-forward Evan Portnoi (Shorthills, N.J. / Northfield Mount Hermon).

The two teams traded buckets as the game continued, with Caltech finding some rhythm on the offensive end in the middle part of the half. A good layup through contact from junior guard James Downs (Huntington Beach, Calif. / Huntington Beach) gave the Beavers two points and the and-one opportunity; Downs sunk the free throw to complete the three-point play.

The second half proved a stronger period for the Beavers on both ends of the floor as they put up 32 points, with Redlands beating them by just six points over the 20 minutes.

Hu led all players on both teams in scoring with 21 points after going 8-for-18 from the field (3-for-9 3PT) and sinking both of his shots from the charity stripe. The rookie's nine rebounds led the team, with four of them coming on the offensive glass.

Koclanes's five assists led the Beavers and were just one shy of tying his career high. Hicks added 12 points while Cantor and Portnoi each had eight.

As a team, Caltech shot 10-for-14 (.714) from the free throw line while the Bulldogs went 3-for-6 (.500). The Beavers nabbed seven steals in the contest; they scored 11 points off opponent turnovers.

Head coach Dr. Oliver Eslinger and the squad will hit the road for their final two contests of the season as they take on Whittier College this Saturday, Feb. 17 at 5 p.m. before closing the season against Occidental College on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. Follow the action online at gocaltech.com/coverage.

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