WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. (Nov. 15) – Facing one of the top programs in the country over the last several years, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team suffered a 108-74 loss at No. 3 West Liberty in the second-annual Charles and Lavoo Crutchfield Mountain East Conference (MEC)/Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Challenge on Sunday evening.
With the loss, the Vulcans open the year with a 0-2 overall record. Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers improve to 2-0 this year after advancing to the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship last season.
Sophomore forward
Tony Richardson (Sterling, Va./Dominion) scored a team-high 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting off the bench. He also posted six rebounds (three offensive) and two steals while playing just 16 minutes on Sunday.
Sophomore transfer
Luka Andjusic (Belgrade, Serbia/Borislav Petrov Braca) finished with 11 points behind three-of-five from beyond the arc and added five rebounds and three assists. Senior
Khalil Jabbie (Alexandria, Va./Edison) collected 10 points and four assists, while classmate
Richard Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East) led the team with seven rebounds.
Cal U made the opening basket of the game before West Liberty mounted a 19-6 run, shooting 8-of-11 from the floor over six-plus minutes, to take a 19-8 lead with 13:22 left in the first half. The Vulcans then answered with an 11-6 rally to trim the deficit to 25-19 on a jumper by Jabbie at the 10:15-mark. The Hilltoppers countered with an 11-3 run over four-plus minutes to stretch the lead to 36-22 with 6:13 remaining before halftime. The teams traded baskets before West Liberty closed the first half on an 11-4 run over the final three minutes to take a 54-36 lead at the break.
Following a three-pointer by the Vulcans to start the second half, the Hilltoppers engineered a 16-6 rally over a span of nearly five minutes to stretch the lead to 70-54 with 14:58 left to play. Cal U worked the deficit down to 82-61 over the next five minutes before West Liberty put the game out of reach with a 17-3 run to take a 99-64 lead with 4:42 remaining. The Hilltoppers later led by as many as 36 points, 108-72, with 18 seconds left to play.
Cal U finished the game shooting 49.2 percent (29-of-59) from the floor, while West Liberty shot at a 55.8 clip (43-of-77) from the field and 37.9 percent (11-of-29) from three-point territory. The Hilltoppers finished with a slight 35-33 rebounding advantage and forced 28 turnovers in the victory.
Senior forward Seger Bonifant, a consensus All-American last year, scored a game-high 31 points on 13-of-18 shooting, including four-of-seven from beyond the arc. Junior Zac Grossenbacher finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while three other players added 12 points.
The Vulcans return to the court on Wednesday, Nov. 18, when they travel to Pitt-Johnstown to open Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play at 7:30 p.m.
