• Box Score

 KUTZTOWN, Pa. (Dec. 9) – After trailing by 19 points in the second half, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team suffered an 86-77 loss at Kutztown on Friday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover play.

With their third-straight loss, the Vulcans fall to 5-3 overall with a 3-2 mark in league action. Meanwhile, the Golden Bears improve to 4-4 this year behind a 2-3 record in conference play.

Senior Chad Tipton (Hanover, Pa./South Western) finished with 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field, including four-of-eight from beyond the arc. He now leads the team in scoring this year with 14.9 points per game while making a career-high 41.7 percent (25-of-60) from three-point territory.

Redshirt junior guard Travon Vann (Frederick, Md./St. John's Catholic Prep) posted 14 points and led the team with eight rebounds, which tied his career high. Senior guard CJ Townes (Joppatowne, Md./Joppatowne) scored a season-high 12 points after making six-of-seven from the free-throw line and junior Quentin Harding (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) posted 10 points on Friday.

The Vulcans took an early 17-10 lead after back-to-back treys by Tipton at the 15:02-mark. Cal U maintained the lead until Kutztown tied the game at 28-28 with 5:07 left before the break. The Golden Bears took the lead on their next possession and built a nine-point lead, 37-28, before entering halftime with a 39-33 lead.

Kutztown built a 15-point lead, 52-37, In the opening six-plus minutes of the second half before Cal U responded with an 11- 5 run to cut the deficit to 57-48. However, the Golden Bears answered with an 11-1 rally over two-plus minutes to take a 68-49 lead at the 10:04-mark.Kutztown extended its lead to as many as 19 points, 78-59, with 4:35 remaining before Cal U closed the game on an 18-8 run.

After shooting almost 50 percent in the first half, Cal U made 42.6 percent (26-of-61) from the field for the game. The Vulcans also shot 80.0 percent (20-of-25) from the free-throw line. In comparison, Kutztown made 48.0 percent from the floor and shot 85.4 percent (35-of-41) from the charity stripe. The Vulcans were out-rebounded for the first time this season, as the Golden Bears held a 40-28 advantage on the glass.

Senior Nate Edwards finished with a game-high 25 points after shooting 5-of-11 from the field and 15-of-18 from the free-throw line. Junior guard Micah Fraction added 19 points and senior forward Erin Brennan registered a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

The Vulcans continue their PSAC Crossover road trip tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 10, when they travel to East Stroudsburg for a 4 p.m. start.