Slow Start Dooms Warriors in Loss

by BRANDON PETERSEN

It was a tale of two halves Thursday night in Vallejo, where the Westcliff men's basketball team fell to Cal Maritime, 74-66.

The Warriors outscored the Keelhaulers, 41-28, in the final 20 minutes, but it wasn't enough to overcome the 21-point deficit they had accrued by halftime.

"Spirited comeback effort for our team down key guys in the contest and losing Marius Ntwari five minutes into the game," Westcliff head coach Jerred Cook said. "Our team is still learning how tough it is to win in the Cal Pac. Teams are well-coached, physical and they compete on every possession. You cannot turn it on and off, it doesn't work that way. Credit to Cal Maritime."

Jordan Reed led the way for Westcliff, finishing with a game-high 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-7 from range.

"Jordan Reed stepped up big for us tonight making pays for out teams and finidng his outside touch," Cook said. "Adofo Thomas and Abdul Abdullah both played solid as well. Great production off the bench from Cameron Snyder hitting two threes."

Both Thomas and Abdullah turned in 13 points,  Snyder added eight, and Cedric Sobers finished with seven.

Statistically, the game was as close as the score, with neither team dominating the box, though Maritime (9-5, 4-0) held slight advantages in rebounding and forcing turnovers.

"We need to watch film, learn from out mistakes and regroup," Cook said. "For a lot of guys, they haven't played meaningful basketball in so long. I want to make sure our guys really understand the opportunity we have in front of us."

Up next, the Warriors (4-7, 2-2) travel to Pacific Union for a 7 p.m. tip Saturday night.

To contact Brandon Petersen, e-mail brandonpetersen@westcliff.edu.