Porter's 43 points, 26 rebounds and team's strong second quarter lead to a 71-58 rivalry victory

ANGWIN, Calif. – As was the case in nine of the previous 14 head-to-head games prior to Sunday afternoon's conference matchup, Cal Maritime left Pacific Auditorium with a victory over their rival Pacific Union. However, it was the way the Keelhaulers defeated the Pioneers, by a 71-58 score, that will quickly grab the attention of Cal Pac basketball fans.

Junior forward Alicia Porter recorded her third-straight double-double by finishing with a career-high 43 points and 26 rebounds, the highest totals in the program's recorded history; both totals topped her previous highs by a sizable margin since the Simi Valley, California, native's previous highs were 19 points and 14 rebounds.

Responsible for 61 percent of her team's offense and 46 percent of its rebounds, Porter's outstanding effort at PUC also included a 17-for-29 shooting performance from the floor, three blocks and two steals throughout her 40 minutes of action.

Another pair of Keelhaulers in Marissa Serrano and Dylan Fulton also played key roles for their team throughout its inaugural Cal Pac road game: Sophomore guard Serrano scored a career-high 17 points with Fulton, a freshman forward, notching her third double-figure rebound total of her career (and second in as many games) by collecting 11 — the highest single-game total of her college career.

By defeating their rivals, Cal Maritime earned wins in 10 of its last 15 road rivalry games, leads the head-to-head series, 21-8, and faces an opportunity to sweep the season series for the first time since 2016 when the Pioneers visit Vallejo on Feb. 12.

These teams split the season series from 2018-20 since games did not take place in 2021 due to COVID.

The Keelhaulers will head to UC Merced for a 5:30 p.m. Cal Pac clash on Thursday before returning home on Saturday to face Simpson, at 5:30 p.m. inside PEAC Main Gym. Cal Maritime will enter this week's league matchups with a 1-10 overall and 1-2 Cal Pac record. Pacific Union will continue its season at 0-8 and 0-1.

Trailing 15-14 after the opening quarter, the Keelhaulers eventually knotted the score at 17 at the 8:45 mark of the second period and over the next five-plus minutes, they outscored the Pioneers, 16-2, and took the lead for good. With 4:24 remaining in the third quarter, Cal Maritime led by a game-high 20 points, but it was that second quarter that set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.

In that period, Porter scored 19 of her team's 24 points, the Keelhaulers hit 10 of their 18 shots from the floor (.556 pct.), outrebounded PUC, 13-6, and forced six turnovers.

For the game, Cal Maritime outrebounded their opponents, 56-35 overall, 14-11 on offense and 42-24 on the defensive glass. The Keelhaulers' overall and defensive rebound totals are season highs; their offensive total is one shy of a season-high mark set at San Diego Christian.

Women's basketball also outscored their opponents in the paint, 42-18, and finished with four more second chance points (15-11) compared to PUC.