Caltech Men's Basketball hosted a rivalry matchup with Occidental College at Braun Gymnasium in Pasadena Saturday as sophomore Josh Balami (Woodbury, Minn. / Math and Science Academy) scored a career-high 25 points.  

Balami scored his first points on a layup with 13:09 remaining in the first half and was effective from that point forward. He kept the game close, converting an and-one opportunity with just over eight minutes remaining in the half. The guard did most of his damage from the paint on driving layups. He made nine field goals and made six of his eight free throws. He has now set career highs in two consecutive games, as the performance against occidental comes on the heels of his career-high eight-assist night against Redlands Jan. 7.  

Caltech has been prioritizing getting the ball to the rim in recent games, and it showed against the Tigers. The Institute outscored Occidental in the paint 20-16 in the first half on Saturday.  

First-year Ryan Rodrigue (San Diego, Calif. / Santa Fe Christian) also shot well from the floor Saturday, making four of his nine field goal attempts on his way to 13 points on the evening. Sophomore Stuart Florescu led the Beavers on the boards with seven rebounds against the Tigers.  

Caltech hits the road to face the Chapman Panthers in Orange, Calif. On Saturday, Jan. 17.  

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