•
Box Score
GREENSBURG, Pa. (Feb. 26) – After trailing by 21 points in the first half, the Vulcans rallied back to claim a 62-58 win over Seton Hill to clinch the final seed in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament Wednesday night at the McKenna Center.
The win secures the sixth and final seed from the PSAC West for the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team and improves them to 11-15 overall and 6-10 in conference play. The Vulcans will now travel to No. 3 seed Mercyhurst for an opening-round game on Saturday, March 1. Meanwhile, the Griffins fall to 7-9 in the PSAC and 15-11 overall.
Junior
Arman Marks (Louisville, Ky./Eastern) scored a game-high 19 points, including 17 in the second half, to lead Cal U to the victory. Sophomore
Jake Jacubec (Struthers, Ohio/Struthers) tallied 14 points, junior
Tynell Fortune (Harlem, N.Y./Pocono Mountain West (Pa.)) added 12 points on four three-pointers, while senior
Chris Williams (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) posted game-bests of 10 rebounds and four assists.
The Vulcans struggled from the field in the first 13 minutes, shooting just 18 percent (2-of-11), and fell behind 22-5 with 6:48 remaining in the first half. Seton Hill shot 60 percent (6-of-10) over the same stretch and converted three of its six three-point attempts. The Griffins extended their lead to 30-10 with 3:24 left until halftime, but the Vulcans started to convert shots and out-scored Seton Hill 7-3 to close out the half, including a three-pointer at the horn by Fortune, to make the score 33-17 heading into break.
The Vulcans carried the momentum of the first half's final three minutes into the second half, as they scored the first seven points of the half, capped off by a basket-and-one by Marks, to pull within 33-24 with 17:25 remaining. After a Seton Hill basket, Williams drained a three-pointer to start a 10-2 run by Cal U to pull within three points at 37-34 with 13:18 left in the game. Both teams exchanged baskets before Marks buried a three-pointer to pull the Vulcans within one at 42-41 with 10:45 remaining in the contest.
Cal U continued to carry the momentum and went on a 7-2 run to take its first lead of the game at 48-46 with 8:22 left in the game. Seton Hill quickly reclaimed the lead with seven-consecutive points, but a pair of treys by Marks and Fortune gave the lead back to the Vulcans at 54-53 with 4:33 left in regulation. Seton Hill reclaimed the lead at 58-57 with 2:04 left in the game, but Marks drained a fadeaway-baseline jumper and Jacubec hit a stepback jumper at the top of the key to give Cal U a 61-58 lead with 40 seconds left in the game.
The Griffins had multiple opportunities to tie the game in the final 40 seconds, missing a pair of three-point chances, but junior
Alonzo Murphy (Pittsburgh, Pa./Imani Christian Academy) hauled in a rebound on the second attempt and hit one-of-two at the line to secure the victory.
Cal U shot 26 percent (7-of-26) in the first half, including 3-of-12 from long range, compared to the 68 percent (15-for-22) it posted in the second half. The Vulcans converted seven of their nine three-point attempts in the second half and 8-of-12 attempts at the charity stripe. Cal U did not attempt a free-throw in the first half.
The Vulcans trailed 33-12 with 23 seconds remaining in the first half before the team exploded for a 34-13 run over the next 11 minutes to take the lead with 8:22 remaining in the game.
Cal U will continue the season on Saturday when it travels to Erie, Pa., to take on No. 3 Mercyhurst with opening tip still to be announced.
