Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

PASADENA, Calif. - The Whittier College Men's Basketball team looked to get off to a strong start in 2017 as they opened up the New Year against Caltech on Tuesday evening but were stunned 95-83.

The loss ends the Purple & Gold's three game winning streak as they drop to 4-5, 0-2 SCIAC, while Caltech earns their second win on the season and their first SCIAC victory.

The Poets didn't have an answer for Nasser Al-Rayes who added a double double with a career high 24 points and 12 rebounds as he led the Beavers to the win.

After CIT opened with a 7-4 run the Poets fired off eight unanswered capped off with a triple from Louis Kurihara (Culver City, Calif.).  This gave WC a 12-7 lead, which wouldn't hold as Caltech's Ricky Galliani would knock down a three-pointer, which would ignite an 11-0 run giving the Beavers back the lead at 21-20.  The lead would stretch to five until Whittier would come back to tie things up at 33-33 following a three-pointer from freshman Nick Potthoff (Phoenix, AZ).

But again CIT would string together seven straight with Galliani adding another triple that increased the Beaver lead back to 40-33.  The Poets tried to come back adding nine over the final 3:07, which included six free throws but they still found themselves trailing by two at halftime 44-42.

Chris Kapano (Los Alamitos, Calif.) added a quick jumper out of the break that tied things up but two baskets from Caltech and a three-pointer from Galliani would be the 7-0 run the Beavers would need as they got their offense back going.  

The deficit became double digits with 14:26 remaining and after that Al-Rayes and Alec Andrews would combine for 17 of the next 19 points for Caltech as they increased the lead to 18 with 2:34 to play.

Whittier managed to cut the deficit back to eight behind a couple three pointers from Conner Longmire (Tarzana, Calif.) but they couldn't get any closer than that as 10 consecutive free throws would secure the home victory for CIT.

Kurihara led the Poets with 21 points, while going 8-of-9 from the free throws line.  Potthoff added 12 to go with seven rebounds and Kapano chipped in with 11, while hauling in seven rebounds and three assists.  Off the bench Jacob Aruta (Stockton, Calif.) would add 10 points in 12 minutes of action.                    

Whittier returns home this evening, Thursday, January 5 as they host West Coast Baptist beginning at 7:00pm.