CALPAC

[Men's Basketball] Redhawks Make Cal Pac Conference Tournament Championship

Benedictine Mesa men's basketball advanced to the championship game of the California Pacific Conference tournament Monday with a 67-65 overtime victory against Simpson University. The win marks the second victory for Benedictine Mesa over Simpson University this season. Senior Maurice Walton led the Redhawks with a dominant performance, scoring 22 points on 10-14 from the field and grabbing 15 rebounds in 22 minutes. Senior Jay Small finished with 18 points, including the shot of the night when his 30-foot, right wing 3-point field goal went in to tie the game at 58 with 1.3 seconds left in regulation. Small also had 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Junior Tre Carolina ended with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. The Redhawks shot 36.1% from the field and 27.3% from 3-point range, and while Benedictine Mesa didn't have a strong overall shooting performance, it was their defense late, led by senior forwards Bryce Cheney and Justin Parker, that helped them take control of the game down the stretch. Benedictine Mesa held Simpson to just 1-6 shooting from the field during the overtime period, including 0-3 from beyond the arc. Benedictine Mesa forced 18 turnovers and had 12 assists on 22 field goals made. The Redhawks will face the top seed, University of Saint Katherine in the championship game Tuesday night. The game is scheduled to tip at 8:30pm MST and can be streamed here.