Frenchwood leads CSUM’s comeback, forces OT vs. Taber

PHOENIX – Training by 10 at halftime in Saturday night's neutral-site matchup versus Taber at Scott Activity Center in Phoenix, Jamal Frenchwood scored 17 of his team-high 21 points in the second half to lead Cal Maritime's scoring surge and tie the game at 78 apiece after 40 minutes of action.

It was a free throw from Frenchwood that forced the extra session because his shot at the line pulled the Keelhaulers even with the Bluejays on his team's final possession of regulation.

In overtime, Frenchwood sank another two clutch free throws, with 13 seconds remaining, to give the Keelhaulers the lead at 91-90.

Those would have been the game-winning points were it not for a turnaround fadeaway jumper from Kalep Crane, from 15 feet with three seconds left on the clock to hand Cal Maritime a heartbreaking 92-91 loss in the first of two games in three days played at Nelson University-Arizona.

Men's basketball will experience a quick turnaround because it will return to action Monday at 6 p.m. in a true rad game against the host Warriors before returning home for the holidays. 

Live video and live stream links are available at GoKeelhaulers.com.

Frenchwood scored a season high and notched his first 20-point game as a Keelhauler; DeAndre Minor accomplished the same two feats by ending his night with an even 20 points (13 were earned after halftime).

By canning 5 of 9 attempts overall and 2 pf 3 from three, Nick Stone matched his career high by scoring 14; Chiron Pham also set a new career high by sinking 4 of 9 shots from the floor, and connecting on all three attempts at the line, to chip in another 11 points for the Keelhaulers.

Pham was involved on a pivotal play with 28 seconds left in overtime: with CSUM on defense, he stepped up in the paint to create a block/charge call on a play that could have gone either way but sent Tabor to the line for free throws. If that pivotal call went the other way, Cal Maritime would have regained the ball and played for the last possession in overtime with the game's ultimate fate in its control.

Eight ties and 10 lead changes took place throughout the night until Tabor recorded the final points of the night on the last true attempt by either team since Cal Maritime was unable to create a clean look from 60 feet at the buzzer.