EDINBORO, Pa. (Dec. 30) – The Vulcans erased a 14-point deficit in the second half on Friday night by tying the score in the final 90 seconds before dropping a 76-71 contest at Edinboro in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team falls to 3-9 overall with a 0-6 mark in league action. Meanwhile, the Fighting Scots improve to 4-6 this season and 2-4 in conference play.

Junior Daniel Sapp (Streetsboro, Ohio/Streetsboro) set a career high with 17 points after shooting 6-of-10 from the floor, including three-of-seven from beyond the arc. He also collected eight rebounds and two assists on Friday night. This season, Sapp is scoring 10.3 points per game while making 47.3 percent (44-for-93) from the field – both career highs.

Fellow junior Jay Tucker (Philadelphia, Pa./Academy at Palumbo) recorded a double-double for the second-straight game, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds (six offensive). He made 5-of-11 from the floor and went four-of-five from the free-throw line. Sophomore Rashawn Browne (Toronto, Ontario/Bill Crothers) posted 13 points, four rebounds and six assists off the bench, while junior Luka Andjusic (Belgrade, Serbia/Borislav Petrov Braca) added nine points and seven rebounds against the Fighting Scots.

Edinboro started the game on an 11-2 run, as Cal U made just one of its opening six shots. The teams traded points for the next four minutes before the Fighting Scots mounted an 8-2 run to build a 29-14 lead with 7:29 left in the first half. Cal U answered with seven-consecutive points in just over 90 seconds to cut the deficit to 29-21 on a three-pointer by Sapp with 5:52 remaining before the break. The Fighting Scots countered with a 10-2 rally to stretch their lead back to double-digits at 39-23 (largest lead of the game) with 1:45 left in the first half. Cal U managed to score the last five points of the half to cut the deficit to 39-28 at the break.

The Vulcans mounted a 10-4 run early in the second half to work the deficit down to 46-40 on a layup by Sapp. Edinboro then countered with a 14-6 rally over six-plus minutes to stretch the lead to 60-46 with 9:11 left to play. Cal U later responded with a 15-2 run to trim the deficit to 65-64 on a jumper by Browne with 3:37 remaining. During the run, the Fighting Scots managed to make just one-of-nine attempts from the floor while five different Vulcans made at least one field goal. Andjusic later hit a three-pointer at the 1:29-mark to tie the score at 69-69 before Edinboro answered with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession. Sapp countered with a layup to make it a 72-71 contest with 47 seconds remaining before the Fighting Scots sealed the victory by making four free-throws in the final 30 seconds.

Cal U shot nearly 55 percent in the second half to finish the game making 43.3 percent (26-of-60) from the floor. Meanwhile, Edinboro shot at a 42.2 clip (27-of-64) from the field after going just 2-of-11 from long range in the second half. The Vulcans finished with a 44-33 rebounding advantage and scored 19 second-chance points. The Fighting Scots committed just four turnovers in the victory.

Junior guard Jaymon Mason, who ranks second in the PSAC in scoring, led all players with 33 points after shooting 10-of-21 from the floor and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. Senior Mikael Anderson finished with 20 points and seven rebounds, while classmate Sheldon Brogdon added 18 points in the victory.

The Vulcans continue their road trip on Tuesday, Jan. 3, when they travel to Erie, Pennsylvania, to face Gannon at 7:30 p.m.