OTTERS vs. HAWKS HIGHLIGHTS

SEASIDE, Calif. — The Cal State Monterey Bay men's basketball team nearly pulled a miracle comeback to beat Holy Names University only to lose on a miracle shot by the Hawks in a gut–wrenching 65–62 loss Tuesday night in The Kelp Bed.

CSUMB rallied from 19 points down to take the lead twice late in the game, the last time when Shawn Smith's (Jacksonville, Fla./Texas A&M) reverse layup kissed the glass and went in to make it 62–60 Otters with three seconds remaining. But Jason Webster hit a prayer off–balance 3–pointer of his own to give erase that advantage.

The Otters had a chance to tie with 1.7 seconds left but turned over the inbounds pass before Webster made two free throws for the final margin.

Freshman Kevin Warren (Oakland/St. Mary's HS) led CSUMB with 19 points. Julien Ducree (Rancho Cucamonga HS) added 12 rebounds.
 

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THE GAME WAS STATISTICALLY OVER WHEN… A desperation half court shot by the Otters fell short as the final buzzer sounded.

ICE, ICE BABY… The Otters might have won the game in a walk if not for their glacially slow start. CSUMB began the game 3-of-18 from the field (including 0-of-9 from beyond the arc), allowing Holy Names to build a 19–point (27–8) lead in the first half.

COMEBACK SPOILED… Not only did the Otters overcome the 19–point first half deficit, they were still 18 points down (56–38) with less than 10 minutes to play before a 22–2 run gave them a 60–58 lead with 3:09 remaining. The Otters had three chances to extend that lead before HNU tied it at 60 with 31 seconds to play.

LEADERS OF THE RAFT… POINTS: Kevin Warren 19; REBOUNDS: Julien Ducree 12; ASSISTS: Shawn Smith 4; BLOCKS: Julien Ducree 3; STEALS: Five Otters 1.

THE LAST WORD… "We weren't ready to go tonight. We looked like somebody shot our dog and we just had to be here. You only have so many chances to play in a college basketball game and we just weren't engaged." – CSUMB Head Coach Rob Bishop

THEY'VE GOT NEXT… The Otters open California Collegiate Athletic Association play Friday in The Kelp Bed by hosting Cal State East Bay for a men's/women's doubleheader. The women will tip-off at 5:30 p.m. and the men at 7:30 p.m.