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ERIE, Pa. (Jan. 19) – The California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team dropped an 82-59 contest to Gannon at the Hammermill Center on Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.

With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 6-9 overall with a 5-6 mark in league play. Cal U had previously won the previous five meetings against Gannon, including two straight at the Hammermill Center. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights improve to 14-4 this season behind an 8-3 record in conference action.

Senior guard Keith Lowe (Columbus, Ohio/Centennial) finished with 19 points after shooting 5-of-18 from the floor and eight-of-nine from the free-throw line. He also collected six assists and a career-high seven steals on Saturday.

Fellow senior Mitchell Weedon (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) posted 12 points on five-of-nine attempts and sophomore Tynell Fortune (Harlem, N.Y./Pocono Mountain West (Pa.)) added seven points. Classmate Jeremy Posey (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) established season highs with eight rebounds and three blocks while making his first start of the year.

The Golden Knights raced out to a 16-5 lead to start the game and forced the Vulcans to use a pair of early timeouts. The two teams traded baskets before Gannon stretched its lead to as many as 14 points, 28-14, with 6:29 left in the first half. Cal U answered with five-straight points before Gannon responded with seven-unanswered points to take a 35-19 lead with 3:04 remaining. The Vulcans trimmed the deficit to 37-25 at halftime after a jumper by Weedon with 36 seconds left.

Gannon opened the second half on a 12-2 run to stretch the lead to 49-27 with 16:14 remaining. The Vulcans then scored five-straight points behind a traditional three-point play by Lowe with 14:00 left before the Golden Knights quickly reclaimed a 20-point lead, 56-36. Cal U managed to trim the deficit to 14 points on two occasions in the final 11-plus minutes of the game.

The Vulcans finished the game shooting 34.4 percent (21-of-61) from the field and 22.2 percent (4-of-18) from beyond the arc. In comparison, the Golden Knights made 50.9 percent (27-of-53) from the floor and converted 95.8 percent (23-of-24) from the free-throw line. Gannon out-rebounded Cal U by a 43-25 margin and scored 42 points from inside the paint.

Senior forward Darrell Blanton led four Golden Knights in double-figures with 19 points and collected eight points and three assists. Fellow senior Oscar Macias added 18 points and six rebounds in the win.

Cal U returns to PSAC West play on Wednesday, Jan. 23, when it travels to face Slippery Rock at 8 p.m.