CALIFORNIA (Jan. 17) – Trailing by as many as 26 points midway through the first half, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team managed to cut the deficit to two possessions in the closing minutes on Wednesday night in an 89-82 loss versus IUP in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.  

With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 8-10 this season with a 4-8 record in league action. Meanwhile, the Crimson Hawks improve to 13-5 overall behind a 9-2 mark in conference play. IUP sits in first place in the Western Division standings after being selected the preseason favorite, while Cal U remains in seventh following the loss. 

Junior Jahmere Howze (Cleveland, Ohio/Warrensville Heights) and senior Robel Teckle (Washington, D.C./Friendship Collegiate Academy) both finished with 18 points in the contest. Howze shot 8-of-16 from the field and added 13 rebounds (five offensive) to register his third double-double of the season. Teckle made 7-of-10 from the floor, including four-of-seven from beyond the arc, and added five rebounds in 29 minutes 

Senior Isaiah Lewis (Brooklyn, N.Y./Christ the King) finished with 15 points, four rebounds and eight assists against the Crimson Hawks. Freshman Philip Alexander (Laurel, Md./Mt. Zion Prep) tallied 12 points on five-of-nine shooting and collected five rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench, while senior Cordell Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Shaw) totaled 11 points, six rebounds (four offensive) and four assists in a team-high 33 minutes on Wednesday night.

IUP opened the game with 13-unanswered points before Cal U ended the drought with a three-pointer at the 17:32-mark of the half. The Crimson Hawks quickly built their largest lead of the game at 26 points following a 20-4 rally to take a commanding 33-7 lead with 12:05 left until halftime. During the run, IUP made seven-of-nine from the floor, including five-of-six from beyond the arc. The Vulcans responded by trimming the deficit to 35-20 after converting five-of-nine attempts and holding the Crimson Hawks to only four shots. IUP extended its advantage back to over 20 points with a short run over a three-minute stretch. Both teams went cold heading into the break, as the Crimson Hawks held a 51-33 lead.

Cal U scored the initial two baskets out of halftime, but IUP kept its comfortable lead for the middle part of the second half. The Vulcans stormed back into the game with a 13-3 run to cut the lead to 83-75 with 3:40 remaining. Alexander led the way scoring eight points during the rally while Cal U made five-of-eight from the floor, including a perfect three-of-three from long range. Howze converted back-to-back layups, as the Vulcans trailed 84-79 with 1:45 left before the Crimson Hawks secured the victory at the free-throw line in the final minute. 

Cal U finished the game shooting 33-of-71 (46.5 percent) from the field and made 40.7 percent (11-of-27) from beyond the arc. The Vulcans out-scored their opponent by 11 points in the second half while making 61.3 percent of their shots.  Meanwhile, IUP shot 28-of-58 (48.3 percent) from the floor and converted 46.4 percent (13-of-28) from long range. Cal U held a sizeable 43-31 rebounding advantage and totaled 15 second-chance points. 

Senior guard Anthony Glover, Jr. finished with 32 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc, and made a perfect six-of-six from the charity stripe. Junior Jacobo Diaz, the reigning PSAC West Athlete of the Year, scored 17 points on 6-of-13 attempts and added nine rebounds and two assists in a game-high 36 minutes. Classmate Dante Lombardi tallied 12 points, six rebounds and four assists, while teammate Blake Danielak posted 11 points and three rebounds in the win. 

The Vulcans return to action on Saturday, Jan. 20, when they travel to Erie, Pennsylvania, to face Mercyhurst with tipoff set for 3 p.m.