JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (Feb. 11) – In a game that featured nearly two dozen lead changes and 10 ties, the Vulcans dropped a 56-52 contest at Pitt-Johnstown in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action on Wednesday night.
With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team falls to 13-11 overall after suffering its third-straight road loss. The Vulcans now stand at 9-10 in league play and are a half-game back of the fifth-place Mountain Cats in the divisional standings. UPJ improves to 12-10 this season behind a 9-9 mark in conference action.
Junior forward
Richard Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East) was the lone player to score in double-digits, as he led the team with both 16 points and eight rebounds. He finished six-of-eight from the floor and made four-of-five from the free-throw line, while also totaling two blocks and three steals.
Five different players finished with six points in the losing effort. Senior
Arman Marks (Louisville, Ky./Eastern) tied for the team lead with eight rebounds, while freshman
Tony Richardson (Sterling, Va./Dominion) added seven rebounds off the bench. Junior
Khalil Jabbie (Alexandria, Va./Edison) collected seven assists against the Mountain Cats.
The teams combined for 11 lead changes and five ties in the first half with neither team leading by more than six points. After the Vulcans scored the opening basket of the game, the Mountain Cats mounted a 10-2 run to take a 10-4 lead with 14:35 left in the first half. Cal U then scored nine-straight points to take a 13-10 lead at the 6:43-mark, as UPJ missed all six shots and committed five turnovers. The Mountain Cats answered by scoring six of the next eight points, including a pair of three-pointers, and later scored six of the last eight points in the first half to take a 26-25 lead at the break.
The teams traded baskets for nearly seven minutes to start the second half before Cal U scored six-straight points to take a 37-32 lead on a layup by junior
Jake Jacubec (Struthers, Ohio/Struthers) with 11:52 remaining. The Mountain Cats answered with back-to-back three-pointers to reclaim the lead at 38-37 with 10:43 left to play. Cal U later scored six of eight points to take a 49-47 lead on a pair of free-throws by Jabbie at the 3:40-mark. UPJ then posted six of the next seven points to take a 52-50 lead with 2:48 remaining before both teams were held scoreless for over two minutes. The Mountain Cats made a pair of free-throws to stretch the lead to 54-50 with 15 seconds remaining before a layup by freshman
Daniel Sapp (Streetsboro, Ohio/Streetsboro) cut the deficit to 54-52 with seven seconds left. The Vulcans forced a turnover just moments later before missing a pair of potential game-tying shots. UPJ made a pair of free-throws in the closing second to seal the 56-52 victory.
The Vulcans finished the game shooting 40.7 percent (22-of-54) from the field and were held without a three-pointer for the first time since the 2008-09 season. The Vulcans also converted only 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from the free-throw line. In comparison, UPJ shot at a 32.8 clip (19-of-58) from the floor and 84.6 percent (11-of-13) from the charity stripe. The Vulcans held a 42-37 rebounding advantage, while the Mountain Cats scored 16 second-chance points.
Senior Ian Vescovi paced all players with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting and finished with 17 rebounds and five blocks. Sophomore A.J. Leahey added 15 points and five rebounds in the victory.
Cal U returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 14, with a non-conference game at Davis & Elkins, starting at 4 p.m.
