REDDING, Calif. - The men's basketball squad welcomed the Keelhaulers back to the James M. Grant Center for the second time in two weeks as Cal Maritime participated in the Simpson Classic in late November. 

Cal Maritime opened the game on six unanswered points before a free throw by Dylan Harms got Simpson on the board. 

A layup by Saben Attebery tied the game at 17 before Timothy Parker converted on two free throws to give Simpson its first lead of the night. 

But the Red Hawks and Keelhaulers exchanged buckets in a tightly played first half that included six lead changes. 

Parker led the team with 11 first-half points as Aidan Rolfs followed close behind with 10 points, and they combined for 10 rebounds. 

Back-to-back buckets by Nian Allen to begin the second half gave Simpson the 42-40 advantage. 

However, Simpson went on a tear as they outscored Cal Maritime 26-7 to extend their lead to a game-high 19 points as they took the commanding 68-49 lead.

Jack Jillson played a key role as he notched seven points while Rolfs drilled two crucial three-pointers to pad Simpson's lead. 

Simpson never looked back as they never relinquished a double-digit lead for the rest of the game, as they took the nonconference contest 85-67. 

Parker and Allen led the scoring with a team-high 19 points each as they combined for 17 rebounds. 

Rolfs proved lethal from beyond the arc as he drilled three three-pointers to go along with 16 points and seven rebounds. 

The Red Hawks had four out of their five starters reach double-digit points, while Saben Attebery played a key role off the bench as he posted 10 points while shooting 5-6 from the floor. 

Simpson looks to stay hot as they hit the road next Saturday to take on the University of the Pacific in an exhibition contest at 4 pm. 
 

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