Aysia Santos leads Keelhaulers’ balanced attack in Saturday’s matchup vs. Saint Katherine

VALLEJO, Calif. – The Keelhaulers' defense shined in the first and fourth quarters of Saturday's Cal Pac matchup against Saint Katherine at PEAC Main Gym: It forced Saint Katherine to truly earn all 20 of its points throughout the opening 10 minutes of action and helped the Keelhaulers outscore the visiting Firebirds, 14-10, in the fourth quarter. 

Led by Aysia Santos, who recorded her fourth-consecutive double-figure scoring effort by finishing with 14 points, Cal Maritime also enjoyed a balanced performance by its offense.

By hitting three of her four baskets from three, Anika Carey posted 11 points, Alicia Porter ended the game with nine, Marissa Serrano and Lexy Wallace each added eight in the penultimate game of their team's season-long five-game homestand that ends Wednesday night, at 5:30 p.m., versus UC Merced.

Porter also dominated the glass by collecting a game-high 14 rebounds.

In a highly competitive contest that saw the Keelhaulers battle from start-to-finish, it was the second quarter that ultimately determined the eventual outcome since USK outscored CSUM, 27-12 in that period, to secure a 74-54 victory over Cal Maritime.

"We played three quarters well ... but it was the second quarter that hurt us," said head coach Imhotet Amen-Ra.

"I love the way we battled in the paint since both teams finished with 46 rebounds and we earned 17 offensive boards. Rebounding consistently and limiting teams to one shot is something that we are getting better at with each game.

"We are improving incrementally every game, that is something that we can control. Things are definitely trending in the right direction," Amen-Ra added.

Women's basketball will enter Wednesday's game against the Bobcats with a 0-5 overall and 0-1 conference record. Saint Katherine will continue its season at 5-4 and 2-0.