Cal Maritime edged by first place Antelope Valley, 73-70, in Cal Pac thriller

ANGWIN, Calif. – Trailing by two points against Antelope Valley — a team that entered Thursday's neutral-site game at Covered Wagon atop the Cal Pac standings, thanks to a four-game win streak — with less than two seconds remaining in the game, Cal Maritime faced an opportunity to force overtime for the first time this season after Eriona Williams sank a free throw to extend the Pioneers' lead to three.

Following a quick inbounds pass to catch UAV off-guard, Cal Maritime's three-point heave from near midcourt came up short as the Pioneers survived Cal Maritime's upset bid and escaped Angwin with a 73-70 victory.

"Facing the first place team in the conference is always a tough challenge, I was thrilled by the way we started the game," said head coach Imhotet Amen-Ra

Cal Maritime scored 11 of the game's first 14 points, shot 54 percent throughout the opening quarter and limited UAV to 6 of 25 shooting (24 pct.) entering the second period tied at 16.

Even though UAV outscored the Keelhaulers, 23-12 in the second quarter, CSUM responded after halftime by winning the second half by scoring eight more points than its opponent (42-34), which set up a thrilling end to a hard-fought battle. 

"We never gave up and pushed the No. 1 team in the conference to the final play. This is the third straight game where we were in striking distance entering the fourth quarter, these are the type of games we love to coach and become a part of," added Amen-Ra.

Antelope Valley was truly fortunate to secure its result since Cal Maritime outshot it in all three areas: The Keelhaulers' shot 48 percent overall compared to the Pioneers' 39 pct. shooting clip,  hit 41 pct. of their three-point attempts versus UAV's 29 pct. and connected on 88 pct. of their attempts at the line. By comparison Antelope Valley only connected on 54 pct. of its free throws.

Cal Maritime also won the battle of the boards by ending the evening with a plus-5 margin (40-35).

Alicia Porter led the team with 19 points and 12 rebounds to secure her second double-double of the week, Dylan Fulton returned to the starting lineup and took full advantage of that decision by finishing with 11 points and eight rebounds.

Aysia Santos continues to shine as the season continues as she recorded 11 points by hitting 4 of 7 overall, and two of those three attempts from three.

"For us, this didn't feel like a loss; everyone felt this game defined who we want to become. The players are eager to return to work and compete for one another ... I cannot tell you how proud I am of this team," Amen-Ra added.

"I cannot say this enough: this staff is amazing to find new ways to help this  program grow and reach its potential, I am amazed by how the players are bought in and how hard they compete every game."

Due to the team's unique schedule this week — games were played on Tuesday and Thursday instead of the traditional Thursday-Saturday combination — women's basketball is off until Thursday, January 18. However, when the Keelhaulers return to the court that night to face Benedictine Mesa, they will do so inside PEAC Main Gym for the first time since December 6.

Starting with that game versus the Redhawks, six of women's basketball's next nine games will take place on its home floor.