Keelhaulers fall to UC Merced in Cal Pac opener

VALLEJO, Calif. – Competing in just their second regular season game within a 24 days, Cal Maritime experienced a slow start to Thursday's Cal Pac opener a PEAC Main Gym be shooting 28 percent in the first half compared to UC Merced's 61 percent figure. Although men's basketball played a strong second half, that opening 20 minutes of action ended up being the difference in a game UC Merced won by an 80-54 score.

Cal Maritime will look to split its opening weekend of league play when it heads to Simpson for Saturday's 4 p.m. game and enters that matchup in Redding with a 3-9 overall and 0-1 Cal Pac record.

The Bobcats will return to Merced with respective records of 10-5 an 1-0.

Jamal Frenchwood led CSUM's second-half charge by earning nine of his team-high 12 points after the break.

"Slow starts in the first half has been our kryptonite this season," said head coach Colin Johnson. "If you look at our team scoring, we are minus-50 compared to our opponents on scoring before halftime and plus-30 in the second half."

Including Thursday's home game, men's basketball's six-day timespan will see the team compete on three games: Following Saturday's game at Simpson, it will return to PEAC Main Gym for Tuesday's 6 p.m. non-conference matchup vs. Lincoln (CA) before resuming league play in Southern California next weekend.