PASADENA, Calif. – The Caltech Beavers squared off against SCIAC rival Occidental College Monday afternoon, holding on for a thrilling 67-65 victory in front of a packed Braun Gymnasium.

While the Beavers struck first and never trailed the visiting Tigers in the game, the guests kept the game close and threatened to flip the script in the final seconds. Above it all was a highlight reel day by first-year Kyra Phaychanpheng (Chino Hills, Calif. / Chino Hills), who led both teams in scoring with a career-high 26 points and added six rebounds, two blocks and a steal.

"I was confident that our team could take care of business," said Phaychanpheng. "We knew what to do, and we executed. Truly a team dub!" On her individual performance, Kyra credited her success to having a mental reset before the game, saying that enjoying the moment, not overthinking in the game and playing hard on both ends of the court were what mattered most.

Caltech opened the game with a three-point play by senior Kathryn Edwards (Centennial, Colo. / Arapahoe), who drew a foul on a putback and made her ensuing free throw. The Beavers would lead by as many as seven points in the first half as Oxy continued to keep the game close, but Edwards' eventual 16 points with seven rebounds and three assists helped keep the Tigers at bay.

Senior Kodie Vondra (Livingston, Mont. / Park) came through in the clutch for the Beavers, leaping for a critical block on a Tiger fast break with about a minute and a half to play in regulation. Vondra finished the day with 11 points, three each of assists, blocks and steals, and a team-high eight rebounds in her 37 minutes on the floor.

First-year Zeynep Goktepe (Istanbul, Turkey The MacDuffie School) led both teams with a career-high six steals to go with her six points, five boards and an assist.

Head Coach Annie Tarakchian and the Beavers will next face the Whittier College Poets on the road this Wednesday night at 7 p.m.