• Box Score

INDIANA, Pa. (March 1) – The Vulcans held a 58-57 lead with 3:19 remaining on Tuesday night before suffering 73-68 loss to IUP at Memorial Fieldhouse in the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team finishes the season with a 15-12 overall record after making its first post-season appearance since 2008. The Vulcans have now posted 25-consecutive winning seasons. Meanwhile, defending-PSAC Champion IUP improves to 22-5 this season and will host the semifinals and finals of the league tournament on March 4-5.

Senior forward Rashawd Hatten (Clairton, Pa./Clairton) and junior forward Steve Swiech (Greenock, Pa./Elizabeth-Forward) each finished with 13 points. Hatten made 5-of-10 from the field and collected three steals, while Swiech made five-of-eight from the floor and registered a team-high seven rebounds (three offensive).

Junior guard CJ Townes (Joppatowne, Md./Joppatowne) scored 12 points and added six rebounds, while classmate Chad Tipton (Hanover, Pa./South Western) posted 10 points in the loss.

The Vulcans trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half before the two teams combined for 12 lead changes and nine ties in the second half. Trailing 56-54, IUP took the lead on a three-pointer by Ashton Smith before Cal U took its last lead of the game at the 3:19-mark when Townes converted a pair of free-throws.

The Crimson Hawks then made four-of-six free-throws to take a 61-58 lead with 1:45 remaining. Swiech countered with a pair of free-throws to cut the deficit to one point, 61-60, before Smith gave IUP the momentum on a three-pointer at the 1:25-mark. On the ensuing Crimson Hawks' possession, Smith made a pair of free-throws to stretch the lead to six points, 67-61, before the Vulcans made it a one-possession game at 68-66 when senior Joe Berenato (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Catholic) converted a four-point play with 24.6 seconds remaining. After IUP made three free-throws, Cal U cut the deficit to three points, 71-68, when Swiech converted a second-chance layup with 7.2 left before IUP All-American Darryl Webb sealed the win with two free-throws at 6.4 seconds.

After shooting over 57 percent in the first half, the Vulcans finished the game shooting at 49.0 percent (24-of-49) from the field. IUP made 42.5 percent (17-of-40) from the floor, including an incredible 52.4 percent (11-of-21) from beyond the arc. The Crimson Hawks also held a sizeable advantage in trips to the free-throw line, shooting 28-of-36 (77.8 percent) compared to 16-of-20 (80.0 percent) for the Vulcans.

Smith scored a game-high 24 points after making four-of-five from three-point range, while Scooter Renkin added 12 points on four treys. Webb finished with 16 points behind 10-of-11 from the charity stripe.

UPCOMING PSAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Semifinals - Friday, March 4 (at IUP)
Cheyney (E4) vs. Slippery Rock (E3), 5:30 p.m.
East Stroudsburg (E3) at IUP (W1), 7:30 p.m.

Championship - Saturday, March 5 (at IUP)
Cheyney/Slippery Rock vs. East Stroudsburg/IUP, 7:30 p.m.

PREVIOUS PSAC TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Quarterfinals - Tuesday, March 1
IUP (W1) d. California (W4), 73-68
Slippery Rock (W3) d. Mercyhurst (W2), 51-45
Cheyney (E4) d. Mansfield (E1), 77-75
East Stroudsburg (E3) d. Kutztown (E2), 83-70