Women’s basketball opens its weekend with another win over Pacific Union

REDDING, Calif. – Earlier this season when Cal Maritime opened its season on Pacific Union's home court, it held the host Pioneers to 27 points for the entire game. In Friday's non-conference rematch inside the James M. Grant Center in Redding, California, PUC topped that total by recording 58 points, but as was the case a few weeks ago, the Keelhaulers collected a win by defeating the Pioneers, 61-58, in a neutral-site game hosted by Simpson University. 

The win was women's basketball's ninth in a row over the Pioneers.

Even though Friday's fila score may indicate a close matchup, Cal Maritime led for all but the first 73 seconds when Tamana Sharifi scored the game's first basket and turned her team's extremely early 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead.

Entering the final minutes of action, the Keelhaulers lead by seven until Pacific Union whittled that down to three during garbage time. By hitting one of her two free throws, Aysia Santos turned that lead into a two-possession advantage until PUC trimmed one point and turned its deficit into the game's final score.

Cal Maritime scored 20 points off 15 Pacific Union turnovers and earned assists on 15 of its 25 field goals. A sizable discrepancy at the free throw line was the only thing preventing the Keelhaulers from blowing out the Pioneers: Pacific Union made 16 of 24 free throws compared to Cal Maritime's 5-for-7 shooting at the stripe.

Sharifi and Santos fueled their team's offense by finishing with 17 and 16 points; the Keelhaulers outrebounded the Pioneers, 36-30, led by Suraya Lloyd and Sharifi who tied one another with a team-high nine boards.

The Keelhaulers will return to action inside the James M. Grant Center Saturday at 4 p.m. in a true road game versus Simpson.