• Box Score

CALIFORNIA (Nov. 25) – The Vulcans suffered a 54-53 last-minute loss to No. 20 University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown on Wednesday at Hamer Hall in the home opener for the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team.

The Vulcans led 53-52 in the final minute before senior forward Marcus Tullis hit the game-winning jumper from inside the paint with five seconds remaining. Cal U attempted a last-second fade-away jumper from the corner, but to no avail as the Vulcans drop to 0-2 on the season. Meanwhile, the Mountain Cats move to 3-0 on the year.

Senior Julian Logan (Kalamazoo, Mich./Loy Norrix) scored a season-high 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting with six rebounds while battling late-game foul trouble. Freshman forward Kelsey Williams (Sandusky, Ohio/Sandusky) also scored in double figures, finishing with 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds (five offensive).

Senior guard Jesse Brooks (Severn, Md./Archbishop Spalding) finished with nine points on three three-pointers, while guards Travon Vann (Frederick, Md./St. John's Catholic Prep) and Jerial Nixon (Lorain, Ohio/Lorain Admiral King) each added six points.

The Vulcans held a seven-point lead twice in the first half before the Mountain Cats trimmed the deficit to 30-27 before halftime. Cal U forced 12 first-half turnovers and collected seven offensive rebounds.

In the opening minutes of the second half, the Vulcans regained their seven-point lead before the Mountain Cats responded with a 10-1 run to claim at 40-38 lead. However, Cal U countered with a 7-4 rally capped by back-to-back lay-ups from Logan to take a 49-46 lead with 6:43 remaining in the game.

The Vulcans maintained their five-point lead until the Mountain Cats made two lay-ups in less than a minute to cut the deficit to 53-52 with 1:47 remaining. UPJ eventually made the game-winning shot with five seconds left on a jumper by Tullis.

Cal U finished the game shooting 34.3 percent (23-of-67), but struggled from beyond the new three-point line making just 3-of-14 from long range. Meanwhile, Seton Hill made 47.9 percent (23-of-48) of its shots after shooting over 50 percent in the second half.

The Mountain Cats held a slim 39-36 edge in rebounds, while the Vulcans collected 15 offensive boards that resulted in 21 second-chance points. Cal U also scored 23 second-chance points off 22 turnovers.

The Vulcans return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 3, when they travel to Vienna, W.Va., to face Salem International University. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.