INDIANA, Pa. (Feb. 4) – The Vulcans suffered a 64-56 loss to No. 18 IUP on Wednesday night at the Kovalchick Complex and Athletic Center in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team falls to 12-10 this season behind an 8-9 record in league action. Meanwhile, IUP improves to 19-3 overall with a 13-3 mark in conference play.

Junior guard Khalil Jabbie (Alexandria, Va./Edison) scored a team-high 15 points behind 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. He is now averaging 15.7 points over the last six games while shooting 86.0 percent (49-of-57) from the charity stripe.

Senior Arman Marks (Louisville, Ky./Eastern) added 12 points, three assists and two steals off the bench. Freshman Tony Richardson (Sterling, Va./Dominion) posted 11 points on five-of-nine shooting before fouling out, while junior Richard Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East) led the team with six rebounds.

The Crimson Hawks posted a 13-2 run midway through the first half to take a 21-11 lead with 8:58 left before the break. During that span, Cal U made just one-of-seven shots from the floor. The teams traded baskets for the next four minutes before the Vulcans closed first half on a 10-5 rally to cut the deficit to 31-27 at the break after a pair of free-throws by Jabbie with three seconds left.
 
Following a pair of free-throws by Cal U in the opening minute, IUP mounted an 11-2 rally over nearly five minutes to stretch the lead to 42-31 with 15:01 remaining. The Crimson Hawks later led by as many as 14 points, 52-38, before the Vulcans mounted a 13-6 run to trim the deficit to 58-51 on a layup by Jabbie with 2:28 left to play. IUP then scored four-straight points in under 30 seconds to seal the victory.

The Vulcans finished the game shooting 38.8 percent (19-of-49) from the floor and 66.7 percent (14-of-21) from the free-throw line. In comparison, the Crimson Hawks made 40.0 percent (20-of-50) from the field and 73.9 percent (17-of-23) from the charity stripe. IUP held a 35-26 rebounding margin, while Cal U posted a 26-18 advantage in points in the paint.

Graduate student Shawn Dyer led all players with 22 points after shooting 7-of-12 from the floor and also added nine rebounds. Senior Devante Chance posted 12 points and five assists, while classmate Jeremy Jeffers added 10 points and six rebounds.

Cal U returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 7, when it hosts Clarion at 3 p.m.