PASADENA (Nov. 21, 2018) – Senior center Elizabeth Eiden (White Plains, N.Y. / Holy Child) became the Caltech women's basketball all-time blocks leader on Wednesday afternoon when the Beavers took down the University of Dallas, 68-49.

All three of Eiden's blocks came in the second quarter. The senior surpassed Krissy Dahl on the all-time list and now sits at 165, with the rest of her final season remaining to pad her record. Eiden's presence in the paint has been a needed element for the Beavers to start their season 2-0, the first that has happened since 2009 when the women's team opened the season with wins against La Sierra University and Southwestern (AZ). Eiden went on to post counting stats in all five categories, scoring 18 points to go with eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals. The senior scored 14 points in the second half as she began to find her rhythm thanks to the Beavers' improved ball movement.

"I'm excited I was able to hit this goal so early in the season," Eiden said. "I'm looking forward to building on it and our team's success through the rest of the year."

Classmate Nika Haleftiras (San Diego, Calif. / Our Lady of Peace) helped the cause with 11 points, a career-high seven assists, and three three-pointers, with her final three coming on a pull-up where the Crusaders afforded her the necessary space to knock down the dagger and put the game firmly out of reach in the fourth quarter. Junior guard Samantha D'Costa (San Jose, Calif. / St. Francis) had yet another five-category day for the Beavers, leading her side with 21 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, three steals and a key rejection underneath the basket. The game marks D'Costa's first double-double of the season, which the junior is also now averaging in points and rebounds through the season's first two games. Senior forward Madeline Schemel (Westport, Conn. / Staples) nearly had a double-double of her own, scoring six points to go with nine rebounds and three assists as another key factor to the Beavers' strong ball movement.

"Sam had a great game," Head Coach Bridgette Reyes said. "She took control of the basketball did what she does best, which is push the pace attack the basket. Nika is the heart and enegy of our team and played very composed. She made great decisions down the stretch and I think the seven assists without a turnover really put us over the edge."

Caltech led Dallas, 34-25 at halftime after exploding to a 24-point first quarter. The Caltech defense began to buckle down in the middle frames, getting key stops to hold off the visitors before turning it back on in the fourth quarter. A 21-12 final period capped off by Haleftiras' triple ultimately sealed the deal for the home team. Freshman Elaine Lin (Brea, Calif. / Troy) also had her best game to date with seven points off the bench, including a key three-pointer in her team's big first quarter.

"We were executing on offense and playing great defense running in transition," Reyes said. "I think of the pace of play really helped spark us."

Reyes and the Beavers will embark on a trip to the University of California Santa Cruz this weekend where they will first take on Carleton College.