Photo by samsphotoservices.com

Pasadena, CA — The Occidental men's basketball team opened their season with the non-conference, 110 Rivalry against Caltech.  The game stayed tight throughout its duration with multiple lead changes.  Ultimately, Caltech came out ahead, 63-61, but the Tigers didn't make it easy.  

The Beavers were first to score, but it would be the Tigers that held the lead for much of the first half.  On two separate occasions the Tigers had an eight-point advantage.  In the final three minutes the Beavers were able to pull ahead after making two 3-pointers and a free throw.  Going into halftime, the Beavers were up 30-25.

The second half is when things got even more exciting.  Scoring between the teams was never more than six points apart once Oxy got things going.   Within the second half, the Tigers had the lead two times, the Beavers had the lead four times, and the game was brought to a tie five times.  At the very end of the game, Sydney Shipp (Chicago, IL) made a 3-point jump shot to bring the Tigers one point away from the Beavers.  However, the Beavers would receive a free throw after a Tiger foul and pull out one more point, ending the game at 63-61.

Overall, three Tigers scored in the double digits.  Oxy was led by Shipp, who scored 18 points, had three rebounds, six assists, and two steals.  Aiden Williams (Portland, OR) scored 14 points, picking up four 3-pointers, five assists, and two steals.  Jack Amsler (Lexington, MA) went three-for-three on free throws, had two rebounds, one steal, and one block for a total of 13 points.  Isaiah Jeannot (Seattle, WA) and Kyle Dosa (Chatsworth, CA) were the lead rebounders for Oxy, recovering six and eight, respectively.  Dosa had the highest number of assists at eight.

Caltehc was led by Marcus Gee who scored a total of 18 points.  Stephen Hei and Jeb Brysacz were the final scorers for the Beavers to push them into the lead for the win.

The next time the Tigers will face off against the Beavers will be on January 1, and based off of Tuesday's game, it will be one you will not want to miss.

Next Game: The Tigers will be home Saturday night for a 7:00 p.m. exhibition game against Westmont College.