VALLEJO, Calif. - The men's basketball team earned a spot in the Cal Pac Championship game tomorrow as they took down Stanton this afternoon, 73-69. 

The game's first points belonged to Jack Jillson as he hit from beyond the arc to give Simpson the early lead. However, the Elks held the lead for the majority of the first half as the Red Hawks reclaimed the lead with just over six minutes left in the half, as Dylan Harms knocked down a three-pointer to give Simpson the 26-25 lead. 

Jillson converted on a late layup with just over two minutes left before the Elks went on a 7-5 run to take the 39-34 lead into halftime. 

Cal Pac Newcomer of the Year, Nian Allen, had a big first half as he posted a team-high 14 points and four rebounds. 

Stanton mounted an 11-point lead just four minutes into the second half as they outscored Simpson 9-3 to take the 48-37 lead. 

However, Simpson answered with a 14-2 run in five minutes to catch the Elks and retake the one-point lead, 51-50, on a layup by Allen.

Cal Pac Player of the Year, Timothy Parker and Jillson anchored the rally as they combined for nine points while Harms added a three-pointer. 

Holding onto a one-point lead, the Elks committed a costly offensive foul to turn the ball back over to the Red Hawks as the Cal Pac Defender of the Year, Aidan Rolfs, drained both free throws. 

The Simpson defense prevailed and held onto the four-point come-from-behind victory to take the game 73-69 to earn a spot in tomorrow's championship game against Northern New Mexico at 5 pm. 

Four out of the five Simpson starters posted double-digit performances, with Allen leading the way with 22 points, Parker following close behind with 17 points, and Harms and Jillson each posting 14 points.
 

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