Strong Second-Half Propels Athenas Over Caltech

PASADENA, Calif. – On Saturday evening the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's basketball team came on strong in the second-half to earn their first SCIAC victory of the season with a 75-59 win over Caltech. Kailee Severt (CMC) led the offensive effort with a career-high 25 points for the Athenas. Maya Love (CMC) scored in double-digits as well with 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Severt also grabbed eight rebounds to tie Love for the team lead.

The Athenas trailed early and held just a 42-38 lead at the half before creating some breathing room with a strong third quarter. In that third quarter, CMS allowed just eight Caltech points while scoring 18 to open up a 14-point lead after 30 minutes of play.

The Athenas' lead never dipped below 14 points in the final quarter as CMS claimed the 75-59 victory in their SCIAC opener.

As mentioned, it was not all smooth sailing for the Athenas on Saturday. The Beavers came out firing and shot a blistering 55.6% from the field in the first-half (15-27). Strong shooting allowed the Beavers to stay in the game throughout the opening half. Caltech held leads of four points on two different occasions in the opening 20 minutes, but the Athenas ended the half on a 17-9 run to turn a 29-25 deficit into a 42-38 lead at the break.

After the half, CMS' defense stepped up and forced nine Caltech turnovers in the third quarter alone. While the Beavers continued to shoot well in the third stanza (50.0% from the field), the turnovers helped CMS hold Caltech to just eight shots (4-8) in the period. As a result, the Athenas outscored the Beavers 18-8 in the quarter and grew their lead to 14 points.

During the third quarter, Kailee Severt shouldered the offensive load with eight points including a pair of three pointers.

A three from Maezelle Millan (CMC) and a pair of free throws from Ellery Koelker-Wolfe (CMC) in the beginning of the fourth quarter ballooned the CMS lead up to 19 points at 65-46. That would be the largest the margin would get, as the Athenas cruised to a 16-point, 75-59 victory to kick-off SCIAC play.

The Athenas improve to 4-2 on the season and start conference play with a 1-0 record. CMS will take the court on Wednesday when they host the University of Redlands Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. in Roberts Pavilion.