Relentless defensive pressure and inside scoring all throughout the lineup nearly brought the Caltech women’s basketball team its first win in as many games as they took on visiting Benedictine University of Mesa on Saturday afternoon. Freshman Lauren Suezaki (San Ramon, Calif. / California) came off the bench to provide the Beavers with 10 points […]
Relentless defensive pressure and inside scoring all throughout the lineup nearly brought the Caltech women’s basketball team its first win in as many games as they took on visiting Benedictine University of Mesa on Saturday afternoon.
Freshman Lauren Suezaki (San Ramon, Calif. / California) came off the bench to provide the Beavers with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting and junior center Elizabeth Eiden (White Plains, N.Y. / Holy Child) led her side with 16 points to go along with five rebounds. Five three-pointers from the larger, more experienced visitors proved to be the difference, though the Beavers kept the Redhawks within range throughout the entire contest thanks in part to winning the turnover battle by a wide margin (13-28). Three Beavers, sophomores Grace Peng (San Ramon, Calif. / California) and Samantha D’Costa (San Jose, Calif. / St. Francis) in addition to junior Nika Haleftiras (San Diego, Calif. / Our Lady of Peace) came up with three steals and stymied the visitors with a consistent full-court press.
Caltech finally took control of the lead with just under four-and-a-half minutes to go in the fourth quarter on a Peng layup after trailing most of the game by no more than nine points. Eiden added to the lead on the following possession on an outlet layup. The visitors’ fifth and final three-pointer did the Beavers in at the two-minute mark but the home team stayed aggresssive and earned an opportunity to tie the game with 11 seconds to go. The team performance should go a long way to setting the tone for the rest of the season and especially when SCIAC play begins to open up after the new year.
Head Coach Bridgette Reyes and the Beavers will have the upcoming week to practice and recuperate before weekend games with Augsburg University and Lewis and Clark College as part of the annual Caltech-Occidental Fall Classic over Thanksgiving weekend.
