Five finish in double figures, Keelhaulers win fifth straight

VALLEJO, Calif. – Benedictine Mesa may have jumped out to an early 12-point lead in Friday's Cal Pac game at PEAC Main Gym, but the Keelhaulers held the advantage when it mattered the most since only one tied score and one lead change took place during this matchup. 

Trailing 34-23 with 4:12 remaining before halftime, men's basketball scored 13 of the half's final 15 points, a block of time that included nine unanswered points from the Keelhaulers and Angelo Nicandro's baseline jumper at the buzzer that tied the score at 36.

One minute and 15 second into the second half, a layup from Everett Perrot gave Cal Maritime the lead for good in a game it won, 77-74, to extend the team's current win streak to five games, secure a split of the season series and set up an opportunity to sweep a challenging weekend that includes three games in four days, and a back-to-back situation that included yesterday's victory versus Embry-Riddle.

After enjoying a respite on Saturday, CSUM will return to its home floor to face Park Gilbert in Sunday's 7:30 p.m. league tilt and return to action with an overall record of 11-11 and a 10-5 conference mark.

Even though the Keelhaulers led by as many as eight points, BenU remained close throughout the entire half, prevented Cal Maritime from pulling away, and trailed by one, with 5:05 left to play, until Shawn Kelly drilled a three that extended his team's advantage to a pair of possessions.

Following layups on consecutive possessions from Perrot and Kelly, the Redhawks chipped away until it trailed by three, entering the final minute of regulation.

Forced to pull up and launch a straightaway three to beat the shot clock, Perrot saw Miles Pennington corral the rebound on his attempt, which sucked the life out of Benedictine Mesa's bench since CSUM successfully wasted another 27 seconds and generated another attempt to extend its then-three-point lead.

Braxton Adderly did just that, with 19 seconds on the clock, by canning a pair of free throws, forcing the Redhawks to strategize accordingly. They chose to score a quick two points, instead of shooting from three, and accomplished half of their goal, thanks to a Cash Calloway layup, but never regained possession again.

On the ensuing possession, Cal Maritime inbounded the ball and burned another four seconds until BenU forced a jump-ball situation, but the Keelhaulers maintained possession with one-half second remaining. The moment CSUM threw the ball back into play, the final buzzer sounded. 

Led by Pennington with 16, five CSUM players scored double figures, a list that included Perrot (14), Kelly, Divine Nwoko (13 apiece) and Adderly (12).

Ball protection played a significant role in the Keelhaulers' latest win since they turned the ball over only seven times, the lowest total in any game played this season.