• Box Score

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (Nov. 28) – Sophomore guard Travon Vann (Frederick, Md./St. John's Catholic Prep) scored a career-high 13 points off the bench, including five-straight late in the game to break a 68-68 tie, as the Vulcans earned an 82-81 victory against Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday.

After losing its season-opener, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team has posted three-straight wins to improve to 3-1 this year. Meanwhile, UPJ drops to 1-2 this season.

Junior forward Andrew Young (Philadelphia, Pa./Cheltenham) scored a team-high 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. In his first year with the Vulcans, he has led the team in scoring in three of four games and is averaging 16.5 points per game. Young also posted six rebounds against the Mountain Cats.

Junior transfer point guard Travis Williams (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God Christian Academy) added 15 points and four assists, while sophomore forward Kelsey Williams (Sandusky, Ohio/Sandusky) finished with 11 points, five assists and three rebounds. Vann posted 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds (four offensive) in 24 minutes off the bench, while senior guard Jerial Nixon (Lorain, Ohio/Lorain Admiral King) totaled nine points, five assists and five steals on Saturday.

In the first half and leading by two points, Pitt-Johnstown mounted a 12-3 rally over four-plus minutes to take a 22-11 lead with 12:18 left before halftime. Cal U was able to cut the deficit to as few as three points, 35-32, on a three-pointer by Nixon with 4:57 left in the first half. With the Mountain Cats shooting at a blistering 76.0 percent (19-of-25) in the opening half, the Vulcans were unable to get any closer before the break, trailing 43-38.

With the Mountain Cats leading 60-51 in the second half, the Vulcans put together a 12-2 run over 4:17 to take their second of the game on a Travis Williams lay-up with 9:41 left in the game. The two teams then traded the lead before the game was tied at 68-68 with 7:54 remaining. Vann broke the tie by scoring five-straight points as Cal U took a 73-68 lead with 6:38 left in the game. Pitt-Johnstown trimmed the lead to two points before Vann made both free-throws with 43 seconds remaining to give the Vulcans an 82-78 lead. The Mountain Cats answered with a three-pointer, 82-81, nine seconds later but neither team was able to make a field-goal or free-throw down the stretch to alter the score.

For the game, Cal U shot 49.2 percent (29-of-59) from the floor and 78.3 percent (18-of-23) from the free-throw line. In the loss, Pitt-Johnstown made an impressive 63.8 percent (30-of-47) of its shots from the field and 77.8 percent (14-of-18) from the charity stripe. Both teams were also successful from beyond the arc, combining to make 13 three-pointers on 30 attempts.

The Vulcans out-rebounded the Mountain Cats by a 28-23 margin with 15 offensive rebounds resulting in 15 second-chance points. Cal U also scored 22 points off turnovers after forcing Pitt-Johnstown into 21 turnovers.

Cal U returns to action when it opens a four-game homestand, beginning against Lake Erie on Tuesday, Dec. 1. The game is slated for a 7 p.m. start at Hamer Hall. Last year, the Vulcans and Storm split the season series with the home team winning each game.