• Box Score

CALIFORNIA (Feb. 22) – Behind four players scoring in double-figures, the Vulcans clinched a berth in next week's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament by posting a 74-61 victory over Clarion on Wednesday night at the Convocation Center in league action.

With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team improves to 16-11 overall behind a 13-8 mark in conference play. Entering the final game of the regular season, the Vulcans are tied with Slippery Rock for third place in the PSAC West standings, and Gannon is only one-game back. Cal U holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Gannon, Slippery Rock holds the edge in the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Vulcans and The Rock and Golden Knights split their series. Meanwhile, Clarion falls to 15-12 this season with an 11-10 record in league action.

Junior forward Mitchell Weedon (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) scored a team-high 14 points off the bench after shooting five-of-nine from the floor. He has posted double-digit points in each of the last two games after combining for only eight points in the previous two games (both starts).

Senior Steve Swiech (Greenock, Pa./Elizabeth-Forward), who was selected a Capital One Academic All-American earlier in the day, finished with 13 points (10 first half) on six-of-nine attempts and four rebounds. Redshirt junior Travon Vann (Frederick, Md./St. John's Catholic Prep) added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists, while freshman Tynell Fortune (Harlem, N.Y. Pocono Mountain West (Pa.)) posted 10 points in 24 minutes off the bench.

Trailing 8-7 early in the game, the Vulcans mounted a 12-1 run to take a 19-9 lead on a jumper by Weedon with 11:11 left in the first half. Clarion countered with a 7-0 rally over the next three minutes to cut the deficit to 19-16 at the 7:36-mark. The Vulcans responded with an 8-1 run to take a 27-17 lead after a lay-up by Weedon with 5:18 left before halftime. Over the next two minutes, the Golden Eagles engineered a 12-0 run to take a 29-27 lead before Fortune converted a pair of free-throws to tie the game, 29-29, at the break.

With Clarion holding a slim lead early in the second half, Cal U posted a 7-0 run starting with a dunk by freshman Jeremy Posey (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon), who tied his season high with nine rebounds. The Golden Eagles eventually cut the deficit to two points, 49-47, before the Vulcans seized control of the game with a 12-2 run to take a 61-49 lead at the 4:08-mark. Clarion made a pair of three-pointers to trim the deficit to 66-60 with 1:01 left to play, however, Cal U made all eight of its free-throws in the final minute to seal the win.

The Vulcans finished the game shooting 49.0 percent (25-of-51) from the floor and 74.1 percent (20-of-27) from the free-throw line. In comparison, the Golden Eagles made 36.4 percent (20-of-55) from the field and 64.3 percent (18-of-28) from the charity stripe. Cal U out-rebounded Clarion by a 38-30 margin and scored 36 points from inside the paint. The Vulcans' bench accounted for an impressive 49 points, while the Golden Eagles' reserves managed only six points.

Clarion senior Paul McQueen led all scorers with 23 points behind 10-of-14 from the free-throw line and added eight rebounds. Freshman guard Winfield Willis finished with 14 points and two assists in the loss.

The Vulcans conclude the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 25, when they travel to face Edinboro for a 3 p.m. start.