Random Walk
A New Streak
They did it! With a 46–45 victory over Occidental College, Caltech’s men’s basketball team won its first Southern California Intercollegiate Athletics
Conference (SCIAC) game in more
than 26 years, breaking its 310-game losing streak.
With the score tied at 45–45, Caltech had the ball for the final possession of the game. Senior Ryan Elmquist was fouled on a layup with 3.3 seconds left. Having already made 14 free throws in the game, he sank the first of two to give the Beavers a one-point lead, sending the crowd into a frenzy. After the second attempt rimmed out, Oxy rebounded and missed a desperation heave at the buzzer. Fans, players, and coaches stormed the court, embracing and high-fiving one another. Techers everywhere rejoiced.
With four nonconference wins early this season, and several nail-biters in conference play, hopes were high that this would be the year that Caltech snapped the SCIAC streak. And with this victory, coming on the last game of the season, the Beavers finally triumphed. —MW
Head coach Oliver Eslinger hugs Elmquist after the game.
