CALIFORNIA (Jan. 24) – The California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team managed to tie the score with two-plus minutes left after trailing by as many as 14 points before suffering a 64-62 loss against Slippery Rock at the Convocation Center on Saturday evening in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.

With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 12-7 overall after losing three of their last four games. Cal U sits in fifth place in the divisional standings with 8-6 mark in league play. Meanwhile, The Rock improves to 15-5 this season behind a 10-4 record in conference action.

Junior guard Khalil Jabbie (Alexandria, Va./Edison) scored a team-high 18 points after converting 10-of-12 attempts from the free-throw line. He also totaled five rebounds, two assists and two steals in the loss on Saturday. Jabbie has made double-digit free-throws in each of the last two games and is shooting 82.0 percent (100-122) from the charity stripe this season.

Fellow junior Richard Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East) finished with 11 points after making seven-of-eight from the charity stripe, while classmate Calvin Brown (Trevose, Pa./Bensalem) posted 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Senior Arman Marks (Louisville, Ky./Eastern) collected seven points, seven rebounds and four steals against The Rock.

Slippery Rock opened the game on a 20-6 run, as Cal U was held without a field goal until a three-pointer by Jacubec the 11:24-mark. The Vulcans then mounted a 9-2 rally over nearly three minutes to cut the deficit to 22-15 on a jumper by Smith with 7:03 left before halftime. Slippery Rock later scored the final seven points of the first half to take a 35-21 lead at the break.

The Vulcans scored the initial six points of the second half and later mounted a 16-5 run over nearly seven minutes to cut the deficit to 47-46 on a pair of free-throws by sophomore Drew Cook (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver Falls) with 8:28 remaining. Slippery Rock responded with seven-unanswered points to extend its lead to 54-46 at the 6:18-mark before Cal U countered with an 11-3 rally to tie the score at 57-57 on free-throws by junior Jake Jacubec (Struthers, Ohio/Struthers) with 2:12 left to play. The Rock reclaimed the lead 30 seconds later after converting a pair of free-throws before Smith converted the first of two free-throws with 1:21 remaining. The teams then traded free-throws for the next minute with Cal U trailing 63-62 after a pair of free-throws by Jabbie with 11 seconds left. Slippery Rock made the back end of two free-throws one second later before Cal U was unsuccessful on a three-pointer at the buzzer.

After making just five shots in the first half, Cal U finished the game shooting 26.3 percent (15-of-57) from the floor and converted 76.9 percent (30-of-39) from the free-throw line. Slippery Rock posted a .367 field-goal percentage (18-of-49) from the field and made 71.4 percent (20-of-28) from the charity stripe. The Vulcans finished with a 45-38 rebounding advantage and scored 13 second-chance points after totaling 17 offensive rebounds.

Junior Kelvin Goodwin led three Slippery Rock starters in double figures, scoring 19 points and registering six assists. Senior Frank Holloway finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, while classmate Antonio Butler added 13 points and five rebounds.

The Vulcans make their second trip to Erie, Pennsylvania, in less than a week on Wednesday, Jan. 28, when they face Mercyhurst at 7:30 p.m.