CALIFORNIA (Jan. 13) — With the help of a three-pointer at the buzzer from senior Khalil Jabbie (Alexandria, Va./Edison), the Vulcans snapped a three-game losing streak and earned a 56-54 victory against Gannon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play on Wednesday night.

With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basetball team improves to 6-10 on the year behind a 4-7 record in conference play. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights fall to 3-11 overall with a 2-9 mark in league action. 

Senior Richard Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East) tallied a team-high 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. He also recorded five rebounds, four assists and one blocked shot. Smith, who leads the Vulcans in scoring, has scored at least 15 points five times this season.

Jabbie finished with 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, while sophomore Nick Miller (Industry, Pa./Western Beaver) recorded eight points, two rebounds and two assists in a season-high 30 minutes. Sophomore Tony Richardson (Sterling, Va./Dominion) posted seven points and four rebounds, while senior Nate Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) tallied five rebounds in the win.

The two teams traded scores early in the first half until Gannon opened a 14-9 lead with 11:24 remaining before the break after a three-pointer from freshman C.J. Asuncion-Byrd. The Vulcans responded by scoring six-consecutive points capped by a pair of free-throws from Jabbie to give Cal U its first lead of the game at 15-14 with 8:34 left in the first half. The Golden Knights rallied for an 8-0 run to retake the lead at 22-15 with 4:56 left in the period. Miller was able to end the run with a jumper before Gannon quickly responded with a shot from long range to extend the lead to 25-17 at the 3:11-mark. The Vulcans ended the half scoring seven of the final nine points to trail 27-24 at halftime. 

The second half begane with both teams trading scores until a dunk by Smith and a lay-up from Jabbie gave the Vulcans the lead for the first time since midway through the first half at 35-32 with 15:31 left to play. After trading scores, a three-point play from Bellhy extended the Cal U lead to 43-37 with 12:36 remaining in regulation. As the teams continued to trade scores over the next nine minutes, Gannon was able to cut the lead to 51-50 with 2:38 left to play. A basket fromSmith extended the lead for the Vulcans before a basket and a pair of free-throws gave Gannon a 54-53 lead with four seconds remaining. After a timeout from Cal U, Jabbie connected on a three-pointer as time expired to give the Vulcans the 56-54 win.

Asuncion-Byrd tallied a game-high 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including five treys, while sophomore Isaiah Eisendorf posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds (five offensive). Junior Kevin Kuteyi and senior Jean Yves Toupane both scored eight points in the loss.

Cal U shot 46.0 percent (23-of-50) from the floor after making 14-of-28 attempts in the second half. In comparison, the Golden Knights made 40.8 percent (20-of-49) from the field. Gannon out-rebounded the Vulcans by a 31-29 margin, while Cal U forced 19 turnovers.

The Vulcans return to action Saturday, Jan. 16, when they travel to Slippery Rock with tipoff at 7 p.m.