Caltech SCIAC Losing Streak Reaches 273 Games
I went to the Caltech men's basketball game tonight ... because I thought the Beavers could end the Mother of All Conference Losing Streaks.
Caltech hasn't won a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game since 1985. Yeah, 23 years ago, for those of you who aren't as good at math as the Caltech kids are.
But they played two overtime home games earlier this month, and they were getting Whittier, which doesn't have a whole lot of size -- which is the strongest part of Caltech's team.
Caltech was tied at the half, and Braun Gymnasium filled up with Caltech students eager to see the Beavers end The Streak ... but, alas, Whittier pulled away to a 72-60 victory. Taking Caltech's SCIAC losing streak to 273 straight.
Wait till next year!
"It's frustrating," senior guard Paxon Frady. "So close ... it seems like nothing breaks our way."
"You would think," senior forward Bryan Hires said, "that when you play a bunch of games that come down to five or six plays ... you would think at least one time the ball would bounce your way and you could win."
Well, we're into some Law of Probabilities Thing here, it would seem. But it isn't working out for Caltech. Or hasn't since Ronald Reagan's second term.
Caltech was whistled for 33 fouls, and Whittier shot 43 free throws (making 30) while Caltech shot 29 (making 18), and there's your game.
Caltech led 25-22 in the opening seconds of the second half on a three-pointer by Matthew Delatorre (who led all scorers with 20 points), but Whittier picked up the pace of the game and Caltech was unable to keep up. Having three key players foul out didn't help, either.
Caltech was as close as 52-46 with 6:12 to play, but their top scorer (Hires) had fouled out by then, and they couldn't keep up with the Poets.
Whittier finishes 14-11 overall, 7-7 in the SCIAC, including victories over co-champs Cal Lutheran and Occidental.
Caltech? The Beavers went 1-24 (they defeated Gallaudet in a non-conference game) and (ack) 0-14 in SCIAC. Again.
Comments
In 1968, the mighty Beavers last defeated a varsity college football team. It was mighty Cal, albeit the San Diego campus. UCSD was so humiliated they ended up dropping the sport.
Posted by: rp | February 27, 2008 1:42 PM