January 4, 2007
Redding, CA -- Led by
sophomore Mikey Ferguson's 17 points
and senior Praise Odo-Boms' 13
rebounds, the Keelhaulers started
off the new year in the California
Pacific Conference like they
finished off the last one -- with a
solid win on the road. The 73-60
victory over Simpson University
moved the Keelhaulers to 3-0 (7-5
overall) in the CalPac, trailing
only William Jessup University
(4-0).
The Keelaulers jumped
out to an early 19-9 lead, but
squandered the edge thanks to a
combination of Maritime turnovers
(10 in the first half) and the Red
Hawks' transition game. At the half,
the host squad had a one-point
advantage, 29-28.
A back-and-forth
affair for most of the second half,
the Keelhaulers moved out to a
six-point lead on a 15-foot jumper
by sophomore Craig Dull with seven
minutes to play. From there,
Maritime cruised to the win behind
the shooting of Ferguson and senior
Tom Kreta (16 points). Odo-Boms,
five of whose 13 rebounds were on
the offensive glass, and junior Cody
Gatton (8 rebounds) were the leaders
on the boards. Odo-Boms finished
with 11 points and Gatton with 12,
10 in the second half.
The Keelhaulers
finished off the 2006 portion of
their schedule with a split in the
Cal-State East Bay Holiday Classic,
Dec. 29 and 30. In the opener, Cal
Maritime faced a perennial NAIA
national contender in Malone (OH)
University, dropping a 75-67
decision. Despite a nineteen-point
deficit early in the second half,
the Keelhaulers fought back behind
Kreta's 26 points. Though Cal
Maritime pulled to within 55-53 with
just over two minutes remaining, a
pair of late Malone 3-pointers put
the game out of reach. On Saturday,
the Keelhaulers took on UC Santa
Cruz and ran away
with a 98-65 win. Ferguson was first
of among five Keelhaulers in double
figures with 22, while senior DJ
Wyatt chipped in with a season-high
12 assists.
On Saturday, January
6, the Keelhaulers face Menlo
College (1-1 in the CalPac) at home.
This will be Menlo's first game
since the Redwood City campus was
shut down due to health reasons just
before the Winter break, causing the
rescheduling of two
Cal Pac games.
