CALIFORNIA (Jan. 23) – Facing the second-ranked scoring defense in the country, the Vulcans suffered a 52-42 loss to Mercyhurst on Saturday evening at the Convocation Center in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.
With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team falls to 7-13 overall with a 4-10 mark in league play. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst improves to 14-4 this season behind an eight-game win streak and stands at 11-3 in conference action.
Sophomore
Luka Andjusic (Belgrade, Serbia/Borislav Petrov Braca) led the team with 11 points behind three-of-seven from beyond the arc. Senior forward
Richard Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East) posted 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals, while classmate
Nate Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) finished with nine points and nine rebounds in the loss.
The Vulcans opened the game on a 12-0 run, as the Lakers missed their initial 10 shot attempts. Mercyhurst worked the deficit down to 12-7 with 10:00 left in the first half and later mounted a 10-2 run over five-plus minutes to take a 17-16 lead at the 4:12-mark. The Vulcans responded with an 8-2 rally to take a 24-19 lead at halftime after sophomore
Cordell Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Shaw) scored on a jumper with three seconds left before the break.
Andjusic extended the lead to 27-19 with a three-pointer on the opening basket of the second half before Mercyhurst cut the deficit to 27-24 with 17:19 remaining. After a pair of dunks by
Richard Smith, the Lakers scored 13-unanswered points to build a 37-31 lead with 10:13 left to play. Cal U snapped the scoreless drought with a pair of free-throw by Bellhy before Mercyhurst stretched the lead to 45-33 at the 3:20-mark behind an 8-0 run. The teams traded points for the remainder of the game with the Lakers sealing the win following a 7-2 rally over nearly a two-minute span.
Cal U finished the game shooting 35.7 percent (15-of-42) from the floor after making only six field goals in the second half. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst shot at a 36.2 clip (17-of-47) from the field and made only 3-of-23 shots (13.0 percent) in the first half. The Lakers held a 32-30 rebound advantage and forced 18 turnovers on Saturday.
Senior Damon Jones scored a team-high 11 points in the win, while classmate Gerrae Williams finished with eight points and three steals.
The Vulcans open the second round of divisional play on Wednesday, Jan. 27, by hosting IUP with tipoff at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcasted live on ESPN3 and fans are encouraged to participate in a 'Red Out.'
