CALIFORNIA (Jan. 27) – The California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team suffered an 85-60 loss to IUP in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action on Wednesday night in the Convocation Center.
 
With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team falls to 7-14 on the year with a 4-11 record in league play. Meanwhile, the Crimson Hawks improve to 15-5 overall behind a 12-3 mark in conference action and have now won nine-straight games. The game was broadcasted on ESPN3 as the NCAA Division II Basketball Game of the Week.
 
Senior Khalil Jabbie (Alexandria, Va./Edison) led the Vulcans with 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the floor and made six-of-seven from the free-throw line. He also tallied three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Jabbie has now scored in double digits 12 times this season, including five times in the last eight games.
 
Sophomore Luka Andjusic (Belgrade, Serbia/Borislav Petrov Braca) finished with 14 points after shooting four-of-six from three-point range, including three-of-three in the second half, while senior Richard Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East) registered 12 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks in 31 minutes. Sophomore Tony Richardson (Sterling, Va./Dominion) also collected a team-high seven rebounds in the loss.
 
IUP scored seven of the first nine points to begin the first half before the Vulcans rallied for a 9-2 run that spanned about three minutes to take an 11-9 lead with 14:49 left in the first half. The Crimson Hawks responded with a 21-9 run over the next nine minutes to take a 30-20 lead with 5:48 left before the break. Cal U scored 10 of the next 16 points to cut the deficit to 36-30 with 2:16 remaining in the half. IUP scored eight-consecutive points to end the half with a 44-30 lead.
 
The Crimson Hawks opened the second half on a 10-3 run that lasted almost five minutes to increase their lead to 54-33 with 15:45 remaining in the game. The Vulcans scored 13 of the next 20 points, including two three-pointers by Andjusic to cut the lead to 61-46 at the 9:30-mark of the second half. IUP responded with a 12-2 run over almost four minutes to increase the lead to 73-48 with 6:03 left to play. Cal U rallied for a 9-2 run in under two minutes, capped by a three-pointer from Jabbie, to cut the deficit to 75-57 at the 4:06 mark. However, the Crimson Hawks ended the game on a 10-3 run to finish with a final score of 85-60.
 
The Vulcans finished the game shooting 39.6 percent (21-of-53) from the floor. In comparison, IUP shot at a 54.8 clip (34-of-62) from the field after shooting 60 percent from the floor in the first half. The Crimson Hawks also out-rebounded Cal U by a 36-24 margin.
 
Senior Brandon Norfleet recorded a game-high 25 points with six rebounds and five assists, while sophomore Anthony Glover posted 15 points and three assists in the win. 
 
Cal U returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 30, when they travel to face Clarion at 7:30 p.m.