Last Wednesday, they played a close one at Occidental. Down 10 points with 3:42 left in the game, they cut it to five as Mike Edwards hit a jumper, a layup, and a free throw, but couldn't close the gap. Edwards finished with 11 points while Todd Cramer and Mike Paluchniak each had 12. Cramer, the SCIAC leader in assists, had four helpers.Official Game Recap
Pasadena Star-News
On Saturday, Caltech traveled to Whittier and played its closest conference road game in 50 years. The Beavers again found themselves down 10 points in the second stanza (at the 13:21 mark) but chipped away and pulled within two points on a Paluchniak 3-pointer with 9:56 on the clock. From there, Whittier responded and grabbed a brief 8-point lead only to see Caltech fend off the Poets and climb to within two points again, this time on a free throw by Ryan Elmquist. A Whittier layup was the last field goal for the home team at the 2:31 mark. Elmquist responded with a driving layup of his own 23 seconds later to make the score 70-68, which ended up being the final. Caltech prevented Whittier from scoring on its next three tries and the Beavers had possession with 8 seconds, but weren't able to convert.Cramer set a Caltech record with 11 assists. He added 13 points and 8 rebounds. Elmquist had 16 and 7 while Edwards added 11 and 7. Paluchniak scored eight points and Will Dooris and Ethan Boroson came off the bench to combine for 14 points with a combined 6 of 12 field goal effort. Caltech won the battle of the boards.
Official Game Recap
Whittier Daily News
Last night, in front of another huge crowd in Caltech's Braun Athletic Center, the Beavers battled La Verne for the second time this season (La Verne, who is now tied for second place in the SCIAC standings, won the first meeting 76-70). Once again, Caltech was down 10 in the second half, 48-38, with 12:57 remaining in the game. Over the next 11 minutes, the Beavers cut into the deficit and grabbed the lead, 58-57, with 1:03 left. La Verne took a 1-point lead a half minute later but Cramer made a contested layup to give the Beavers a 60-59 lead. With 12 seconds left La Verne drove the lane but Elmquist blocked the shot attempt and the ball was deflected out of bounds. The Leopards managed to get the ball to their best shooter who hit a contested jumper in the corner. Caltech's last second shot attempt missed and La Verne clung to a 61-60 final.Caltech held the visitors to a 2 of 14 clip from behind the arc. The Beavers shot 57 percent from the field in the second half and again outrebounded their opponent. Edwards scored a game-high 18 points. Elmquist had 17. Cramer turned in another all-around performance with 14 points, 5 boards, and 6 assists. Paluchniak had five points, three assists, and a steal. Collin Murphy played a tremendous game with four points, two steals, and a game-high seven rebounds.
Official Game Recap
Pasadena Star-News
