The Caltech men's basketball team Tuesday night won its first Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game since 1985, defeating Occidental, 46-45, at Caltech.
The victory ends Caltech's 310-game losing streak in conference play, according to Deborah Hedges, its senior media relations representative.
Caltech outscored Occidental 9-0 after the visitors took at 45-37 lead with about four minutes remaining.
Ryan Elmquist gave Caltech the one-point lead when he hit the first of two freethrows with just three seconds remaining. Elmquist missed the second freethrow, but a half-court shot from Occidental at the buzzer missed the mark.
Find out more about the win on the Beavers website. The school posted images and video from Tuesday's win.
"It feels more real now than when the buzzer first sounded," said Coach Oliver Eslinger after the game. "This is pure elation. I'm just so proud of the guys. They worked so hard. Everyone's here. Pasadena's here... They support us. That's what it's all about. We have the best fans in the world."
It's the school's first men's basketball win since 1985, but Caltech does have a few other accolades -- 31 alumni and faculty have won the Nobel Prize, 67 have won the National Medal of Science or Technology, and 110 have been elected to the National Academies.
