ERIE, Pa. (Jan. 28) – The Vulcans suffered a 58-57 loss at division-leading Mercyhurst after missing a shot at the buzzer on Wednesday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team falls to 12-8 this season behind an 8-7 mark in league play. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst extends its winning streak to six games and improves to 15-5 overall. The Lakers remain tied with Gannon for first place in the divisional standings with a 12-3 record in conference action.

Junior Khalil Jabbie (Alexandria, Va./Edison) scored a team-high 13 points and added five rebounds on Wednesday. Classmate Calvin Brown (Trevose, Pa./Bensalem) finished with 11 points, nine rebounds (four offensive), three blocks and three steals, while fellow junior Richard Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East) posted 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in the loss.

The Vulcans scored six of the game's initial nine points before the Lakers mounted an 11-3 run to take a 14-9 lead with 10:23 left in the first half. Cal U then answered with a 7-2 rally over nearly five minutes to tie the contest at 16-16 on a pair of free-throws by senior Arman Marks (Louisville, Ky./Eastern) at the 5:25-mark. The Lakers posted a 9-4 run to reclaim the lead at 25-20 before the Vulcans scored six of the last eight points of the half to enter the break trailing 27-26.

Mercyhurst tallied the opening four points of the second half before Cal U answered with five-straight points to the score at 31-31 on a pair of free-throws by Smith with 17:39 remaining.  The Lakers then mounted a 13-5 run over nearly five minutes to take a 44-36 lead at the 12:48-mark. Cal U answered with 10-unanswered points to take a 46-44 lead on a jumper by Brown with 9:07 left to play. Both teams were then held scoreless for over three minutes before the Lakers took a 51-48 lead with 3:42 remaining.

Cal U later tied the game at 53-53 on a three-pointer by sophomore Drew Cook (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver Falls) at the 1:27-mark before Mercyhurst countered with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession. The Vulcans cut the deficit to 56-55 with 39 seconds left before the Lakers converted both free-throws on the next possession. Cal U then had a three-pointer blocked but retained possession after the ball went out of bounds. Jabbie made a layup with 12 seconds left to cut the deficit to 58-57 before the Lakers missed the front end of a one-and-one. Smith collected the defensive rebound before Cal U missed a potential game-winning shot as time expired.

The Vulcans finished the game shooting 31.9 percent (15-of-47) from the floor and 84.6 percent (22-of-26) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Lakers shot at a 39.6 clip (21-of-53) and 91.7 percent (11-of-12) from the charity stripe. Cal U held a sizeable 42-25 rebounding advantage and scored 16 second-chance points after collecting 17 offensive rebounds.

Redshirt junior Gerrae Williams and freshman Sean Beins both scored a team-high 13 points for the Lakers, while junior Jean Onana added 11 points off the bench in the victory.

Cal U continues PSAC West play on Saturday, Jan. 31, when it hosts Edinboro at 5 p.m.