CALIFORNIA (Dec. 19) – Despite a career-high 29 points from freshman
Collin MacAdams (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West), the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team suffered a 99-86 loss versus East Stroudsburg at the Convocation Center on Wednesday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover play.
With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 3-7 this season behind a 1-3 record in league action. Meanwhile, the Warriors extend their winning streak to eight games to improve at 8-2 overall with a undefeated 4-0 mark in conference play. Last season, the Warriors captured both the PSAC and Atlantic Region Championship, while posting the second-most wins in school history with a 27-6 record.
MacAdams scored 29 points on 10-of-13 attempts and made seven-of-eight from the free-throw line. He added six rebounds and one block while playing all 40 minutes on Wednesday. MacAdams has posted double-digit points and six rebounds in three-consecutive games.
Sophomore
Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) posted 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, plus tallied six assists and four steals in 39 minutes of action. He has now scored at least 20 points in three games this season and leads to team in scoring with 16.1 points per game.
Freshman
Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) finished with 15 points on 7-of-12 shots and added five rebounds, four assists and two steals in 34 minutes. Redshirt junior
Donte' Williams (Buffalo, N.Y./Bishop Timon) also totaled 15 points, including three three-pointers, and tallied two steals in 34 minutes. Freshman
Jermaine Hall, Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) led all players with 11 rebounds and added six points, two assists and one block in 37 minutes of play.
The Warriors built a 13-5 lead in the initial two-plus minutes of the first half before the Vulcans answered with back-to-back three-pointers to cut the deficit to 13-11 at the 16:41-mark. Following an ESU dunk, Cal U responded with a 13-5 rally to claim a 24-20 advantage after knocking down six-of-nine shots and forcing four turnovers. The Warriors reclaimed the lead at 28-26 with 9:50 left in the half before ESU stretched the lead to 38-33 on three-made shots and four free-throws. After trailing late into the first half, the Vulcans countered with a 12-2 run led by six points from Pegram to take a 49-44 advantage with 46 seconds remaining. The Warriors made a three-pointer to close out the first half, as Cal U held a 49-47 lead at the break.
In the second half, ESU quickly reclaimed the lead after knocking down 8-of-10 shots, including four from long range, to take a 67-55 advantage. During the nearly four-minutes stretch, the Vulcans attempted just three shots and were forced into three turnovers. Cal U was able to close the gap to 70-61 with 14:54 left before a 10-6 run from the Warriors put the them ahead 80-67 at the midway point of the second half. Both teams exchanged the next eight baskets before Williams made a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 90-78 with 5:03 remaining. Cal U would close to gap to 10 points in the final two minutes, but ESU would seal the 99-86 victory.
Cal U finished the game with a season-high .554 field-goal percentage (31-of-56) and made 16-of-23 (69.6 percent) from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, ESU shot 53.5 percent (38-of-71) from the filed while converting 10-of-20 (50.0 percent) from beyond the arc. The Warriors held a commanding 39-24 rebounding advantage, while tallying 54 points in the paint and 35 points off the bench.
Redshirt senior Josh Williams posted a career high with 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting and added six rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 27 minutes. Freshman Ryan Smith totaled 14 points on 7-of-11 attempts and five rebounds, while junior Montrel Morgan finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. Redshirt senior Jakwan Jones and junior Michal Weiss both notched 10 points in the winning effort.
Cal U is idle for two weeks before opening PSAC West action on Jan. 2 on the road against Edinboro with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m.
