• Box Score

CALIFORNIA (Feb. 11) – Freshman forward Kelsey Williams (Sandusky, Ohio/Sandusky) finished with a season-high 22 points, as the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team topped Clarion University, 64-52 at Hamer Hall on Wednesday in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.

With the win, the Vulcans snap a five-game losing streak and improve to 11-10 overall and 4-5 in divisional play. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles drop to 10-11 overall and 1-7 in conference action.

Williams, the reigning PSAC West Freshman of the Week, scored his 22 points after making 9-of-16 attempts from the floor and four-of-six attempts from the free-throw line. The 6-7 forward also registered six rebounds and two blocks in the win. Over his last three games, Williams has averaged 19.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per games.

Junior guard Jerial Nixon (Lorain, Ohio/Lorain Admiral King/Lakeland C.C. (Ohio)) posted 12 points, while senior guard Jesse Brooks (Severn, Md./Archbishop Spalding/Maryland Eastern Shore) added 10 points. Nixon also collected seven rebounds (four offensive), four assists and two steals.

The Vulcans broke a 10-10 tie with an 8-0 run in the first half, capped by an alley-oop dunk from Nixon to senior forward Julian Logan (Kalamazoo, Mich./Loy Norrix/Owens C.C. (Ohio)) that made the score 18-10 with 6:32 remaining. After expanding its lead to double-digits twice in the first half, Cal U went into the break with a 30-22 lead after a dunk by junior forward Chris Moore (Ellicott City, Md./Howard/Morgan State (Md.)) in the final seconds.

Moore, who ranks among the league leaders in blocks, finished the game with six points, a team-high nine rebounds and five blocks.

Cal U opened the second half with a 12-2 rally to take a 42-24 lead with 15:16 remaining. During the run, the Vulcans made five-of-nine shots from the field and limited the Golden Eagles to only one-of-eight shooting. Midway through the second half, Cal U expanded its lead to as many as 24 points, 59-35, with 7:48 left after back-to-back three-pointers from sophomore guard Joe Berenato (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic), who finished the game with nine points, three rebounds and two steals.

The Vulcans posted their best shooting performance in two weeks after making 46.2 percent (24-of-52) of their shots. The Cal U defense forced Clarion into a season-worst 26.1 shooting percentage (18-of-19) from the floor and just 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from beyond the arc.

With four players collecting five-plus rebounds, Cal U held a 42-40 advantage on the glass and scored 38 points in the paint. The Vulcans registered 10 blocks and collected 13 assists on 24 field goals.

Sophomore swingman Shameel Carty posted a double-double in the losing effort, finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds (five offensive).

The Vulcans return to action on Saturday, Feb. 14, when they host Lock Haven University. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. at Hamer Hall.