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Box Score
RICHMOND, Va. (Nov. 27) – Sophomore swingman
Quentin Harding (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) scored a team-high 15 points and was one of four players scoring in double figures on Saturday night, as the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team suffered a 73-66 loss at Virginia Union.
With the loss, the Vulcans drop to 1-1 this season. Meanwhile, the Panthers (1-0) earned the win in their season-opener. It marked the first game between Cal U and Virginia Union since the 2005-06 season.
Harding finished with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor, including two-of-six from beyond the arc. Through the first two games this year, he leads the team with 16.5 points per game after making 51.9 percent (14-of-27) from the field.
Sophomore guard
Ryne Niemiec (Brownsville, Pa./Beth-Center) added 14 points behind three treys off the bench. Senior
Rashawd Hatten (Clairton, Pa./Clairton) tallied a balanced stat line with 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals, while junior transfer guard Freddy Appiah (Toronto, Ontario/Ascension of Our Lord) collected 11 points and three assists.
After trailing 27-26 at halftime, the Vulcans took their third and last lead of the game when they scored the first points of the second half. Virginia Union countered with a 20-6 rally over the next five-plus minutes to take a 47-34 lead with 13:25 left in the game. Cal U was then able to cut the deficit down to six points, 49-43, capped by a jumper from Harding with 9:46 remaining. In the closing minutes of the game, Appiah converted a traditional three-point play to trim the Panthers' lead to 63-59 with 1:24 left in the game. Virginia Union sealed the win by scoring 10 of the next 14 points before Appiah hit a three-pointer as time expired.
After shooting 53 percent in the second half, Cal U finished the game shooting 46.6 percent (27-of-58) from the floor and 36.8 percent (7-of-19) from beyond the arc. Virginia Union made nearly 60 percent after halftime, but still made only 44.6 percent (25-of-56) of its shots for the game.
The Panthers out-rebounded the Vulcans by a 40-31 margin, while both teams collected seven steals.
Senior Braxton Byerson scored a game-high 20 points for the Panthers, while classmate Greg Redford finished with a double-double behind 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Cal U is idle for a week before returning to action next Saturday, Dec. 4, when it hosts Lourdes (Ohio) at 7 p.m. The Gray Wolves are a first-year program and are members of NAIA.
