INDIANA, Pa. (Dec. 16) – The California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team dropped a 62-51 contest at IUP in the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex on Wednesday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.

With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 4-7 this season with a 3-4 mark in league play. Meanwhile, the Crimson Hawks improve to 7-5 overall behind a 4-3 record in conference action.

Senior Richard Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East) led the team with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting and also added eight rebounds and three steals. Sophomore Cordell Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Shaw) posted 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals off the bench, while senior Khalil Jabbie (Alexandria, Va./Edison) finished with nine points.

The Crimson Hawks scored five of the opening six points of the game before the Vulcans made their initial basket of the game at the 17:43-mark. Cal U later scored seven-straight points over three minutes to take a 10-7 lead on a three-pointer by sophomore Luka Andjusic (Belgrade, Serbia/Borislav Petrov Braca) with 13:14 left in the first half. The Crimson Hawks responded with an 8-4 rally to reclaim the lead at 15-14 with 6:50 remaining before halftime. Cal U reclaimed the lead before IUP closed the half on an 11-2 run to take a 29-21 lead at the break.

Richard Smith scored the opening four points of the second half before IUP mounted a 10-4 run over nearly six minutes to take a 39-29 lead with 13:12 left to play. The Vulcans answered with a 7-1 rally to trim the deficit to 40-36 on a three-pointer by Cordell Smith with 11:24 remaining before the Crimson Hawks countered with a 12-3 rally to stretch the lead to 52-39 with 6:33 left in the game. Cal U managed to work the deficit down 54-48 on a jumper by Jabbie at the 3:55-mark before being held scoreless for over three minutes.

The Vulcans finished the game shooting 38.0 percent (19-of-50) from the floor and just 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from the free-throw line. In comparison, the Crimson Hawks shot at a 40.7 clip (22-of-54) from the field and made 38.1 percent (8-of-21) from beyond the arc. IUP held a 40-29 advantage in rebounds and also forced 17 turnovers

Sophomore Anthony Glover led IUP with 14 points and seven rebounds, while senior Daddy Ugbede finished with 12 points and six rebounds. Fellow senior Brandon Norfleet tallied 10 points and nine assists in the victory.

Cal U returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 19, when it hosts Urbana in non-conference play at the Convocation Center with tip at 5 p.m.