CALIFORNIA (Dec. 4) – The California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team dropped an 78-74 contest against Millersville on Sunday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover play at the Convocation Center.
With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 2-7 overall with an 0-4 mark in league action. Meanwhile, the Marauders improve to 4-3 on the year and 3-1 in conference play.
Freshman guard
Ramon Creighton (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) led four players that scored in double figures, finishing with 20 points (14 second half). He shot 9-of-19 from the floor and added two rebounds and two assists in 36 minutes. The Pittsburgh native has led the team in scoring in seven of nine games this season, including five 20-point games.
Junior
Cordell Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Shaw) tallied 14 points and nine rebounds, while also collecting a team-high five assists. Classmates
Daniel Sapp (Streetsboro, Ohio/Streetsboro) and
Tony Richardson (Sterling, Va./Dominion) both scored 10 points with Richardson recording nine rebounds.
Cal U held an early 7-6 lead before Millersville went on a 10-2 run to take a 16-9 lead with 15:03 left in the first half. The teams traded scores for the next several minutes before a layup from junior
Nick Miller (Industry, Pa./Western Beaver) ignited a run of 13-unanswered points for the Vulcans, which took a 29-26 lead with 6:01 left. Sapp later gave Cal U a 32-30 lead with a three-pointer at the 3:57-mark before Millersville closed out the half on a 12-6 run to take a 42-38 lead at the break.
The second half started with the Vulcans going on a 9-1 run to take a 47-43 lead at the 17:06-mark. After two three-pointers from Millersville, Cal U regained the lead at 56-53 with a 12-4 run that was capped by a three-pointer from Creighton with 13:24 remaining. Creighton gave the Vulcans a 60-56 lead with a layup before the Marauders went on a 15-4 run over the next five minutes to take a 71-64 lead with 6:33 left to play. Cal U continued to trim the deficit during the final minutes of the game, but was unable to get within three points as Millersville held out for a 78-74 victory.
Cal U shot 47.0 percent (31-of-66) from the field while converting just 45.5 percent (5-of-11) from the free-throw line. In comparison, the Marauders shot 42.9 percent (27-of-63) from the floor, including 36.4 percent (12-of-33) from three-point territory. The Vulcans finished with a 43-33 rebounding advantage.
Millersville sophomore Marcus Adkison scored a game-high 32 points after going 9-of-16 from beyond the arc. Classmate Jon Lott tallied 13 points and four assists, while junior Conrad Chambers added 11 points in the win.
The Vulcans continue PSAC Crossover play on Saturday, Dec. 10, when they host Shippensburg in the Convocation Center at 5 p.m.
