PASADENA, Calif. - Trailing for the first 35 minutes, Cal Lutheran outscored Caltech 21-11 in the final 4:48 to fight off the upset and defeat the Beavers 79-69 Saturday night in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action. Taylor Messick and Jessica Salottolo combined to score 41 points including 30 in the second half to lead the Regals to their first road conference victory of the year.
Tied at 58-58 with a little over six minutes left to play, Cal Lutheran took the lead on a Salottolo free-throw and then scored on its next three possessions to take a 64-59 lead. Ahead by four, Cal Lutheran hauled in three offensive rebounds in the same possession and then Messick scored on a put-back to give the Regals the momentum and a six-point lead.
In the final five minutes, Messick and Salottolo combined to score all of CLU's 13 points as the Regals gained a 75-69 advantage. Keeley Anderson and Chelsea Jacoby each made a pair of free-throws in the final seconds to seal the win for the Regals.
The Regals were their own worst enemy in the first half, surrendering 11 turnovers. Caltech opened the game on a 7-2 run before Cal Lutheran climbed back to make it 11-8 after back-to-back jumpers from Anderson and Salottolo.
The Beavers would counter with two baskets from Kristin Anderson to lead 17-10 with 11:28 left to play in the half but Cal Lutheran stormed right back, going on a 7-0 run and tying the game. The run was capped by Salottolo making a contested lay-up while being fouled and then sank the following free-throw to complete the three-point play.
Caltech continued to maintain its lead by controlling the boards, outrebounding CLU 22-17 in the first half. The Regals had a shot to tie the game at 25 with 3:05 left to play after Sofia Cruz hit a jumper-from just past the free-throw line and was fouled. CLU couldn't convert the free-throw and Caltech responded by hitting two three-pointers in the final minutes as a part of a 9-2 run to close out the half.
Salottolo led CLU with 23 points while Messick was second with a career-high 18. Jacoby notched a double-double by scoring 10 points and corralling 12 rebounds. Anderson rounded out the CLU scorers in double figures with 10 points and Cruz chipped in nine. Haley Hodgson was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field, scoring six points while Natalie Stone had three points, five rebounds and two assists. The Regals used depth and size to control the interior, outscoring the Beavers in the paint 44-16.
Grace Leishman led the Beavers with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
With the loss, Caltech falls to 1-13 overall and 0-5 in the SCIAC.
Cal Lutheran (6-7 overall, 2-3 SCIAC) will be back in action next Thursday, Jan. 16, when it takes on Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Tip-off in Claremont is slated for 7:30 p.m.
Box Score: CLU 79 CIT 69
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