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CALIFORNIA (Jan. 28) – After a combined six ties and seven lead changes in the second half, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team suffered an 82-78 overtime loss to Mercyhurst on Saturday night at the Convocation Center in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.

With the loss, the Vulcans fall into a tie for fifth place in the divisional standings with an 8-6 league mark in league action and 11-9 overall. Meanwhile, the Lakers improve to 13-5 this season behind an 11-3 record in conference play.

Junior guard Keith Lowe (Columbus, Ohio/Centennial) scored a team-high 15 points on four-of-eight shooting from the floor and 7-of-10 from the free-throw line. He also collected three rebounds and tied senior CJ Townes (Joppatowne, Md./Joppatowne) for the team lead with five assists.

Fellow junior Quentin Harding (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, while freshman Tynell Fortune (Harlem, N.Y./Pocono Mountain West (Pa.)) posted 12 points off the bench. Redshirt junior guard Travon Vann (Frederick, Md./St. John's Catholic Prep) added seven points, eight rebounds and four assists in the loss.

Four early points by senior Steve Swiech (Greenock, Pa./Elizabeth-Forward) helped Cal U jump out to a 9-3 lead at the 16:38-mark. Mercyhurst countered with a 6-0 run to bring the Lakers within one, 9-8, before back-to-back three pointers gave the Lakers a 17-13 lead with 13:06 remaining in the half. A 4-0 run would extend the Mercyhurst lead to nine points, 30-21, with 7:50 left before a lay-up by senior Chad Tipton (Hanover, Pa./South Western) brought the Vulcans within four points, 35-31, with just two minutes remaining in the half.  A dunk by freshman Jeremy Posey (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) ended the half with Cal U trailing 39-36.

Swiech brought Cal U within one point at 41-40 with 18:51 remaining in the second half. The Vulcans regained the lead at 42-41 after a lay-up by Lowe at the 16:35-mark. With the game tied at 49-49, Lowe converted a free-throw to give the Vulcans a 50-49 lead with 10:30 left. Four-unanswered points by Mercyhurst gave the Lakers a 56-52 lead with 8:29 remaining. Fortune hit a three-pointer to bring the Vulcans within one point at 63-62 with just over three minutes left in the half.  Vann made a free-throw at the 2:02-mark to tie the game at 66-66 before Fortune put Cal U up two, 68-66. The Lakers made a lay-up with 25.1 seconds left to send the game into overtime tied at 68-68.

A post move by forward Bill Weaver put Mercyhurst up 70-68 to start the overtime period, while a tip-in by Harding kept Cal U close, 75-70, with 2:14 remaining in overtime. Tipton hit a three-pointer to bring the Vulcans within one at 76-75 with 1:29 left before the Lakers sealed the win with a pair of free-throws.

For the game, Cal U shot 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from the field and just 23.1 percent (3-of-13) from the three-point line. In comparison, Mercyhurst shot 42.6 percent (29-of-68) from the floor and 50.0 percent (8-of-16) from long range. The Vulcans out-rebounded the Lakers 44-38 with 15 offensive rebounds and blocked six shots on Saturday.

Sophomore Matt Lee led Mercyhurst with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including five-of-seven from beyond the arc, while Weaver finished with 18 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

The Vulcans conclude the first round of divisional play on Wednesday, Feb. 1, when they host Edinboro for a 7:30 p.m. tip at the Convocation Center. Live stats of the game will be available by clicking here.