• Box Score

CALIFORNIA (Jan. 18) – Following a basket with one-tenth of a second left in regulation, the Vulcans suffered a 54-53 loss to Slippery Rock at the Convocation Center in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action on Wednesday night.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team falls to 9-8 this season with a 6-5 mark in league play. Meanwhile, Slippery Rock improves to 10-5 overall behind a 7-4 record in conference action.

Senior forward Steve Swiech (Greenock, Pa./Elizabeth-Forward) scored a team-high 14 points on 6-of-12 from the floor. He also posted six rebounds and two blocks in the loss.

Redshirt junior Travon Vann (Frederick, Md./St. John's Catholic Prep) finished with nine points, nine rebounds (four offensive), four assists and three blocks against Slippery Rock. Classmate Quentin Harding (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) posted seven points and four assists, while guard Keith Lowe (Columbus, Ohio/Centennial) added four assists off the bench.

After The Rock made a three-pointer to start the second half, the Vulcans mounted a 10-1 run to take a 40-26 lead with 14:01 remaining. Slippery Rock later cut the deficit to 43-37 at the 7:22-mark before Cal U scored four-straight points to expand its lead back to double-digits. The Vulcans led 51-44 with 4:14 left before The Rock capped an 8-2 run with a follow-up dunk with 51 seconds remaining to trim the deficit to 53-52. After Cal U missed a layup and free-throw, Slippery Rock scored the game-winning layup with 0.1 second left – its only lead of the second half.

Cal U finished the game shooting 40.8 percent (20-of-49) from the floor, including 25.0 percent (3-of-12) from three-point territory. In comparison, Slippery Rock made just 31.6 percent (18-of-57) from the field after making 34.8 percent (8-of-23) from beyond the arc. The Vulcans held a 39-38 advantage on the glass, but The Rock scored 15 second-chance points off 13 offensive rebounds.

Senior forward Devin Taylor led The Rock with 14 points and nine rebounds, while classmate Torrance Timothy added 12 points off the bench.

Cal U continues divisional play on Saturday, Jan. 21, when it travels to face Lock Haven at 3 p.m.