LA VERNE, Calif. -  The Manchester University women's basketball team concluded its West Coast trip with one final non-conference game against the Caltech Beavers on Wednesday afternoon.

The Spartans cut a 16-point deficit to just one-point in the 3^rd quarter, however, the Black & Gold's second half rally fell short as Caltech withstood the rally for a 65-53 victory.

After trailing 38-25 at the intermission, the Spartans fought their way back into Wednesday's game after outscoring the Beavers 19-9 in the 3^rd quarter. Caltech used an 8-0 burst to push their lead back into double-digits at the start of the 4^th quarter to firmly regain control of Wednesday's contest.

The Spartans shot 17-50 (34 percent) from the field against Caltech. Manchester knocked down 7 triples on the day, finishing 7-18 (38.9 percent) from three-point territory.

The Beavers finished Wednesday's game shooting 28-60 (46.7 percent) from the field. The Beavers shot 3-11 (27.3 percent) from distance, however, most of their damage on offense was done in the paint – Caltech outscored the Spartans 42-16 on points scored in the paint. Caltech also held a 40-27 rebounding advantage.

Bridget Nash (Carmel, Ind./Bishop Chatard) led three Spartans in double figures with 13 points. Eva Bazzoni (Wabash, Ind./North Manchester) scored 12 points while grabbing 5 rebounds. Miranda Bieghler (Plainfield, Ind./South Putnam) added 11 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds.

Sahana Saikumar led Caltech with 21 points and 9 rebounds.

Manchester (5-5) will look to regroup after the holidays. The Spartans will host nationally-ranked Transylvania University in Stauffer-Wolfe Arena on Sunday January 2 at 1 pm as Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play resumes.

Caltech (5-5) will face Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Wednesday January 5 in its next contest.