WEST CHESTER, Pa. (Dec. 2) – Facing the preseason Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East favorite, the California University of the Pennsylvania men's basketball team fell by a 91-64 margin at West Chester on Sunday afternoon in league crossover action.
With the loss, the Vulcans drop to 1-5 this season behind a 0-2 record in conference play. Meanwhile, the Golden Rams improve to 5-3 overall after winning three-straight contests with a 2-0-mark in league action.
Sophomore transfer
Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) scored 20 points on 8-of-16 attempts, including four-of-eight from beyond the arc, and tallied a season-high eight assists while adding three rebounds in 40 minutes of action. He has scored in double-digits in five of the last six games while tallying his first 20-point game of the season on Sunday.
Freshman
Jermaine Hall, Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) posted his first collegiate double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds against the Golden Rams. He shot 7-of-10 from the floor, including two-of-four from long range, and totaled two steals in 34 minutes. Classmate
Collin MacAdams (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) finished with 15 points after converting seven-of-eight from the free-throw line. He also notched six rebounds and three assists while playing 36 minutes.
Hall made the initial field goal of the contest before West Chester went on a 23-0 run after knocking down 9-of-12 shots, including five three-pointers. During the nearly seven-minute stretch, Cal U failed to make a basket and was forced into six turnovers. MacAdams snapped the rally with a pair of attempts from the charity stripe before the Golden Rams scored 12-consecutive points to hold a 36-4 advantage at the 5:46-mark. The Vulcans answered with a 9-2 run and made three-of-five shots to trail 38-13 with 2:18 left in the first half. West Chester finished the half with a 49-17 lead after converting four-of-five attempts, including three shots from long range.
Cal U opened the second half on a 7-2 rally, including five-straight points from Hall, before the Golden Rams countered with back-to-back buckets to hold a 53-24 advantage at the 18:06-mark. MacAdams responded with a three-point play before Pegram scored five-unanswered points in under two minutes in the second half. The Vulcans trimmed the deficit to 59-39 with 13:58 remaining after seven-consecutive points before West Chester posted an 8-0 run. The Vulcans continued to battle, knocking down five-of-eight attempts, but the Golden Rams mounted a 12-0 rally with 3:38 left in the contest. Cal U closed the contest on a 12-4 run, including seven points from Pegram, as West Chester captured a 91-64 win.
The Vulcans shot 42.2 percent (25-of-59) from the floor while converting just 7-of-24 (29.2 percent) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Golden Rams finished the game with a .416 field-goal percentage (32-of-77) and made 16-of-32 (50.0 percent) from long range. West Chester held a commanding 52-38 rebounding advantage, including 25 offensive boards which resulted in 22 second-chance points.
Junior Malik Jackson scored 24 points on 8-of-17 attempts, including making 6-of-10 from three-point range, and added three rebounds, three assists and two steals in 33 minutes. Senior Jackson Hyland posted 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting and totaled five rebounds and four assists, while teammates Frank Rokins and Matt Penecale each tallied 10 points.
Cal U returns to action at the Joe Manchin Classic hosted by Salem on Dec. 8-9. The Vulcans will face Concord and Kentucky State while in West Virginia.
