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INDIANA, Pa. (Jan. 18) – The Vulcans withstood a late second-half run on Saturday night to claim a 59-56 victory at rival and No. 5 IUP in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play at the Kovalchick Complex and Athletic Center.

With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team improves to 8-9 overall with a 3-4 mark in league play. The victory also snapped a seven-game losing streak by the Vulcans in road games against the Crimson Hawks, as their last road win in the series came during the 2007-08 season. Meanwhile, IUP falls to 14-2 this season behind a 4-2 record in divisional action.

Sophomore Jake Jacubec (Struthers, Ohio/Struthers) scored a team-high 15 points after shooting five-of-nine from the floor, including three-of-four from beyond the arc. Since being held to a season-low two points on Dec. 21, he is averaging 15.7 points over the last six games.

Junior Arman Marks (Louisville, Ky./Eastern) added 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench, while senior Chris Williams (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) finished with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists. Junior forward Alonzo Murphy (Pittsburgh, Pa./Imani Christian Academy) recorded game highs of 12 rebounds and three blocks on Saturday.

IUP opened the game with a sluggish 7-2 lead before Cal U countered with a 12-2 rally over six-plus minutes to take a 14-9 lead with 9:30 left in the first half. The Crimson Hawks were held to only one-of-nine shooting from the floor during the run. IUP worked the deficit down to one before Cal U answered with an 8-2 run to increase its lead to 22-15 following a three-pointer by Williams at the 4:40-mark. The Crimson Hawks were limited to only two free-throws in the final 5:26 of the first half, as the Vulcans took a 25-18 lead after a three-point play by Marks with 1:21 left before the break.

The teams traded three-point plays to open the second half before IUP trimmed the deficit to 28-27 with 17:30 left to play. The Vulcans countered with an 8-2 run to stretch their lead to 36-29 on a three-pointer by Williams at the 14:36-mark. IUP again answered by cutting the lead to one possession, 38-36, before Cal U answered with a commanding 12-2 run over nearly six minutes to take a 50-38 lead with 6:46 remaining. The Crimson Hawks snapped a nearly five-minute scoreless drought with a three-point play at the 5:08-mark before junior guard Tynell Fortune (Harlem, N.Y./Pocono Mountain West (Pa.)) scored four-straight point to give the Vulcans their largest lead of the game at 54-41 with 4:05 left to play.

IUP mounted a furious comeback with an 11-2 run over a span of only 2:30 to trim the deficit to 55-52 with 1:35 remaining. The teams traded free-throws on their next possessions before Cal U made a free-throw with 19.0 seconds left. The Crimson Hawks then converted a lay-up with 8.4 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 58-56. Cal U made the first of two free-throw attempts before IUP missed a potential, game-tying three-pointer in the closing seconds.

Cal U finished the game shooting 40.8 percent (20-of-49) from the floor, including 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from beyond the arc. The Vulcans also converted 76.5 percent (13-of-17) from the free-throw line. In comparison, the Crimson Hawks shot at a 37.7 clip (20-of-53) from the field and 84.6 percent (11-of-13) from the charity stripe.

Senior Mathis Keita led three Crimson Hawks in double-digits with 20 points and tied for the team lead with six rebounds. Junior guard Devante Chance added 11 points, five assists and five steals in the loss.

Cal U is idle for a week before returning to action on Saturday, Jan. 25, when it hosts league-newcomer Seton Hill on Alumni Day at 5:30 p.m.