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CALIFORNIA (Nov. 15) – Senior Rashawd Hatten (Clairton, Pa./Clairton) and sophomore Quentin Harding (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) led five players in double figures with 18 points on Monday night, as the Vulcans opened the season with an 89-51 victory over Penn State-Fayette at Hamer Hall.

The California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team earned the win in its season-opener for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign and the sixth time in the last eight years. The game marked only the second all-time meeting between the two schools, which are separated by about only 20 miles.

Hatten scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half, shooting 8-of-11 from the field for the game. He also collected six rebounds (all offensive), two assists and three steals. Hatten is the Vulcans' top returning scorer (6.4 per game) and rebounder (4.2 per game) from last season.

Harding made 8-of-15 attempt from the field for 18 points in his Cal U debut. He also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds (five offensive), two assists and two steals. Juniors John Williams (Baltimore, Md./Mervo) and Chad Tipton (Hanover, Pa./South Western) each finished with 13 points, while sophomore guard Ryne Niemiec (Brownsville, Pa./Beth-Center) added 11 points off the bench.

Cal U opened the game with a 15-6 run in the first six-plus minutes behind seven points by Harding. The Vulcans then mounted a 12-2 rally to stretch their lead to 19 points, 27-8, with 8:12 left before halftime. Cal entered the break with a 49-25 lead after true freshman Josh Johnson (Monroeville, Pa./Imani Christian Academy) had a tip-in as time expired.

After halftime, the Roaring Lions were only unable to cut the deficit to 22 points four times with the last time coming with 10:01 remaining, 64-42. Cal U then responded with eight-unanswered points, 72-42, capped with a fastbreak lay-up by junior guard Freddy Appiah (Toronto, Ontario/Ascension of Our Lord) with 7:15 left in the game. Appiah also collected nine points and seven assists in his Cal U debut. The Vulcans led by as many as 42 points, 86-44, following a transition lay-up by Harding with 3:44 remaining.

After shooting over 53 percent in the first half, the Vulcans finished the game making 49.4 percent (39-of-79) of their shots. Meanwhile, the Roaring Lions shot 41.3 percent (19-of-46) from the floor. Both teams struggled from long range, combining to shoot only 26.7 percent (8-of-30) from beyond the arc.

Cal U out-rebounded Penn State-Fayette by a sizeable 48-23 margin, which helped lead to 56 points from inside the paint. The Vulcans took advantage of their athleticism by collecting 26 offensive rebounds and scoring 31 second-chance points. Behind five steals by Appiah, Cal U collected 17 steals after forcing Penn State-Fayette into 27 turnovers.

The Vulcans are idle for nearly two weeks before returning to action on Nov. 27 when they travel to face Virginia Union in Richmond, Va., for a 7 p.m. start.