Women’s basketball steps up in crunch time to defeat rival PUC

ANGWIN, Calif. – Trailing by five with 1:48 remaining in Thursday's Cal Pac Conference game at Covered Wagon, Cal Maritime ended its inaugural road game of the season on an 11-5 run, which included a three-pointer from Kai Kraus that snapped an 83-83 tied score against Pacific Union and gave the visiting Keelhaulers the lead for good in a game they won by an 87-86 score. 

Following Kraus' three, Anika Carey hit one of two shots at the line, with three seconds on the clock, to extend CSUM's lead to a pair of possessions until the Pioneers' hit a desperation three to make the final score look closer than the events that took place throughout the final 108 seconds of game time.

Off until December 28 when it hosts UC Merced, at PEAC Main Gym, in another Cal Pac contest, Cal Maritime will enter its holiday hiatus with a 1-6 overall and 1-2 league record. Pacific Union will continue its season at 0-10 and 0-4.

Alicia Porter led all players with 41 points, by hitting 15 of 24 shots from the floor and connecting on another eight from the free throw line. By recording a game-high 12 rebounds, she posted a double-double for the fifth time this season.

Dylan Fulton finished with a season-high 21 points and eight rebounds, Marissa Serrano added another 10 points, Carey collected 10 boards — the second double-figure total of her brief college career — and Kraus added another nine points to the Keelhaulers' points total.

After Makenzie Barnes pushed PUC's lead to five with just under two minutes left to play, CSUM's comeback began with a three from Porter and a layup from Kraus, which tied the game at 81 with exactly one minute on the clock.

The Pioneers regained the lead on a layup, which followed with a layup from Fulton six seconds later to even the score once again.

Cal Maritime's defense came up with huge stops on consecutive PUC possessions; on the other end of the court, Kraus hit the go-ahead three and Carey was sent to the line and faced an opportunity to ice the game, which is exactly what happened when she connected on the back-half of a pair of free throws.