Gritty game-long effort nearly leads to victory, Keelhaulers edged by two points

MERCED, Calif. – Cal Maritime women's basketball fans have witnessed their team grown and strengthen through on-court experience since the start of the new year, and the program's ascension will continue as the season progresses, thanks to the vital experience gained by everyone on this year's roster in Saturday's series finale at UC Merced. 

Yes, the Bobcats survived a late CSUM charge to escape with a 70-68 victory, but the Keelhaulers have every reason to possess a positive and upbeat attitude when their three-game road swing continues on Thursday at Saint Katherine.

Trailing by five with less than 30 seconds to play, freshman Lexy Wallace came up clutch by draining a three to pull Cal Maritime within one possession.

Wallace ended the night with 11 points and was one of four players to score double figures. Alicia Porter led all Keelhaulers with 17, Aysia Santos scored 14 and Dylan Fulton ended with 13 as this quartet provided CSUM with a balanced attack throughout all 40 minutes.

Both teams committed 20 or more turnovers, but Cal Maritime made the most of those Bobcat miscues by scoring 25 points. By comparison, the Keelhaulers' defense only allowed UC Merced to turn their miscues into 19 points.

Even though Cal Maritime earned 23 fewer trips to the free throw line, it made the most of those opportunities by connecting on 11 of 13 attempts.

The Keelhaulers' defense played a key role in keeping this game competitive and preventing UC Merced from pulling away at any point of the night since the Bobcats' largest lead was only eight; UC Merced could not handle CSUM's suffocating defense from behind the arc since the Bobcats only recorded one basket from three out of their 16 attempts.

Following its game at USK, Cal Maritime will end their final Southern California trip of the season at Westcliff on February 3. When women's basketball returns to Vallejo that night, the team will play its following three games inside PEAC Main Gym.


Head Coach Imhotet Amen-Ra Postgame Quotes
"This was a tough one, this came down to the wire and we placed ourselves to get a shot off at the very end."

"A big point of emphasis with everyone on the team is not just winning, but learning what it takes to win. We did some of those things on the court tonight, which means everyone is experiencing growth because we are learning to play better. There are small things we need to clean up, but we are definitely playing better."

"When they threw a zone press at us in the third quarter, we weathered the storm by making proper adjustments and sticking to our plan. I am really proud how everyone played together, stuck together, and gave us a chance to win the game."