ERIE, Pa. (Feb. 20) — The California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team suffered a 65-38 loss at Mercyhurst in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action on Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 7-20 overall behind a 4-17 league mark and drop their ninth-straight game. Meanwhile, the Lakers improve to 17-8 on the year with a 14-7 conference record.

Sophomore Daniel Sapp (Streetsboro, Ohio/Streetsboro) recorded 10 points on four-of-six shooting from the field, including two-of-four from beyond the arc, in 31 minutes off the bench. He also tallied two rebounds and one assist. 

Senior Nate Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) also posted 10 points with a team-high six rebounds (all defensive), one assist, one block and one steal in 28 minutes. Classmate Richard Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East) registered seven points with four rebounds (three defensive), one assist and two steals, while fellow senior Khalil Jabbie (Alexandria, Va./Edison) led the team with three assists in the loss.

Both sides traded three-pointers to start the game before Mercyhurst went on an 11-2 run that spanned over six minutes to take a 14-5 lead with 12:21 remaining in the first half. After Cal U recorded its first basket in nearly five minutes, it was able to score four of the next seven points before the Lakers responded with 12-consecutive points to increase their lead to 29-9 at the 6:17-mark. The Vulcans posted the next two scores with jumpers from Bellhy and Jabbie before Mercyhurst scored six of the last eight points of the half to take a 35-15 lead into the break.

The teams split the opening 12 points of the second half to bring the score to 41-21 in favor of the Lakers with 16:57 remaining in the second half. Cal U mounted a 12-5 run that went over seven minutes, capped by a lay-up from sophomore Cordell Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Shaw) to cut the lead to 46-33 at the 9:34-mark. Mercyhurst responded with nine-straight points to extend the lead to 55-33 with 4:57 left in the game. After back-to-back scores from the Vulcans, the Lakers posted the final 10 points of the game to make the final score 65-38.

Cal U shot 35.6 percent (16-of-45) from the floor after making only seven field goals in the first half. In comparison, Mercyhurst posted a 46.2 clip (24-of-52) from the field, including 45.0 percent (9-of-20) from long range. The Lakers out-rebounded the Vulcans by a 33-25 margin and committed only six personal fouls, while holding Cal U to only four free-throws.

Senior Damon Jones registered a game-high 14 points with five rebounds (four defensive), while classmate Jean Onana posted 13 points. Fellow senior Andy Hoying recorded a team-high six rebounds (four defensive) and junior H'ian Hale recorded seven assists.

Cal U returns to action at home Wednesday, Feb. 24, against Edinboro for Senior Night in the Convocation Center at 7:30 p.m.