EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. (Dec. 3) – The California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team nearly erased a 19-point deficit in the second half with a 26-11 run before dropping a 108-97 contest at East Stroudsburg on Sunday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action. 

With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 5-3 this season with a 2-2 mark in league play. Meanwhile, the Warriors remain undefeated and improve to 6-0 overall behind a 4-0 record in conference action. East Stroudsburg and West Chester are the only teams left in the 18-team PSAC with perfect records.

Senior Terry Davis, Jr. (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) registered a game-high 26 points after shooting 11-of-18 from the field and added eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 35 minutes. He currently ranks fourth in the conference in scoring at 21.9 points per game while converting 10 or more field goals in three games this season.

Classmate Cordell Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Shaw) scored 20 points on 8-of-11 attempts, including four-of-seven from beyond the arc. He collected two rebounds, a season-high eight assists and a career-high six steals in the loss. Smith has made four or more three-pointers in three-straight games. 

Senior Isaiah Lewis (Brooklyn, N.Y./Christ the King) posted 15 points after going 6-of-13 from the floor and collected eight assists on Sunday. Freshman Philip Alexander (Laurel, Md./Mt. Zion Prep) totaled 15 points after shooting six-of-nine from the floor, including three-of-five from long range, and added five rebounds in 30 minutes off the bench. Junior Jahmere Howze (Cleveland, Ohio/Warrensville Heights) finished the game with 12 points, five rebounds and two assists against the Warriors. 

East Stroudsburg opened the contest with back-to-back jumpers before Cal U took an 8-6 lead on a dunk by Howze with 17:36 remaining in the first half. The Warriors responded with a 16-9 run after making three-of-five from beyond the arc and forcing three steals to take a 22-17 lead. Cal U would trim the deficit to as few as three before East Stroudsburg countered with a 12-5 rally to take a 36-26 advantage with 9:22 left in the half. The full-court press by the Warriors would force the Vulcans into 11 first-half turnovers, allowing them to build a 20-point lead with 3:30 remaining. Cal U took a 10-2 run into the break with Davis and Teckle both posting five points while trailing the Warriors 59-47.

The Warriors extended their lead to 19 points after converting 6-of-11 from the field in the initial eight minutes of the second half. Cal U countered with a 20-11 run to cut the deficit to 86-76 with 7:13 left in the contest before East Stroudsburg halted the rally with four-consecutive points. The Vulcans responded once again to trim the deficit to 95-92 with 3:06 remaining after a 16-5 run. During the rally, Cal U shot a perfect seven-of-seven from the floor and recorded a pair of steals. The Warriors would seal the victory by forcing the Vulcans into three turnovers in just over 90 second and registering nine-straight points in the final minutes of the game. 

Cal U finished the game with a .563 field-goal percentage (40-71) and made 10-of-22 from beyond the arc (45.5 percent). Meanwhile, East Stroudsburg shot 52.6 percent (38-of-72) from the field and converted 20-of-25 from the free-throw line (80.0 percent). The Vulcans posted a 36-32 rebounding advantage; however, the Warriors forced 20 turnovers and hit the 100-point mark in their fourth-consecutive contest. 

Senior Steve Harris led four players in double-figures with 22 points on seven-of-nine shooting and made 8-of-11 from the charity stripe. He added five rebounds, two assists and a game-high three blocks. Junior Nick Giordano posted 18 points after converting four-of-six from long range, while sophomore Kobi Nwandu added 18 points on 7-of-10 attempts, four rebounds and two blocks in a team-high 29 minutes. 

The Vulcans return to action on Saturday, Dec. 9, when they travel to face Shippensburg in PSAC Crossover play at 3 p.m.