Keelhaulers’ season ends in a thriller at the Cal Pac Championship

MESA, Ariz. – The opening game of the California Pacific Conference Men's Basketball Championship was a thrilling way to start the league's postseason tournament, thanks to Cal Maritime's second-half scoring surge, stout defense and a game that was decided on a last-second shot.

Trailing 25-13 at halftime, Cal Maritime erased that double-digit deficit by scoring nine unanswered points, within a 16-2 run that spanned 8:10 midway through the second half. Throughout that block of action, the Keelhaulers' defense prevented UC Merced from scoring for nearly four minutes and forced the Bobcats to commit nine turnovers during their eight-minute offensive outburst.

Three tied scores and four lead changes took place, all throughout the second half of a game that was knotted at 40 apiece until UCM broke that tie for good with 1.2 seconds remaining in the game.

Unlike the Bobcats, who saw three players combine for 35 of their 42 points, eight of nine Keelhaulers who saw action in this Opening Round matchup scored; all but one CSUM player also recorded at least one rebound.

Miles Pennington led the team in both of those categories by finishing with nine points and 11 rebounds in his final game in a Cal Maritime uniform. Also competing for the final time in his collegiate career was Braxton Adderly, who scored eight points and recorded a team-high two assists and one rebound.