Keelhaulers edged late by Simpson

VALLEJO, Calif. – Trailing by nine in the second half of Thursday's Cal Pac Conference game at PEAC Main Gym, Cal Maritime took a 53-52 lead thanks to a 12-2 scoring run, capped a layup from Lucky Hampton who ended with a game-high 19 points.

Cal Maritime began its comeback with a pair of free throws from Alex Maze, followed by a DeAndre Minor jumper and another pair of free throws from Hampton.

The Hampton-Minor combination continued to pay off for the Keelhaulers as they each scored a layup on respective possessions to pull within one until CSUM took the lead on its ensuing possession.

A hard-fought battle continued throughout the rest of the second half until the visiting Red Hawks took the lead late. With Cal Maritime forced to foul, Simpson hit all eight of its free throw attempts within the final minute of action to leave Vallejo with a 75-65 victory.

Cal Maritime will head to UC Merced for Sunday's 7:30 p.m. league battle with records of 3-15 overall and 3-8 versus conference opponents. Simpson will continue its season at 7-12 and 5-6.

In addition to scoring 19 points, Hampton led all Keelhaulers with nine rebounds. Maze and Minor were the other CSUM players to finish in double figures by adding 14 and 13, respectively.