JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (Feb. 10) – Trailing by as many as 25 points in the first half, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team managed to cut the deficit to one possession in the final six minutes on Saturday afternoon in an 82-75 loss at Pitt-Johnstown in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play. 

With the loss, the Vulcans dropped to 9-15 this season with a 5-13 record in league action. Cal U remains in seventh place in the divisional standing, but trails Mercyhurst by 4.0 games with four contests left for the final playoff spot. Meanwhile, the Mountain Cats improve to 13-10 overall behind an 11-8 mark in conference play. 

Senior Cordell Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Shaw) led the team with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-10 from three-point range, while playing 29 minutes. He now has four 20-point performances this season and five contests with at least five three-pointers made. 

Senior Robel Teckle (Washington, D.C./Friendship Collegiate Academy) posted his first double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds (three offensive). He shot 7-of-15 from the field while playing all 40 minutes. Freshman Philip Alexander (Laurel, Md./Mt. Zion Prep) scored 13 points and made eight-of-eight from the free-throw line and also collected six rebounds (four offensive), two assists and two blocks in 32 minutes. 

Both teams exchanged baskets during the opening four minutes as the contest was tied at 9-9 before UPJ responded with a 17-0 rally. During the run, the Mountain Cats converted 8-of-10 from the field and forced five turnovers to take a 24-9 lead. Cal U ended the drought with a pair of free-throws by senior Terry Davis, Jr. (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) before UPJ countered with back-to-back layups. The Vulcans went nearly 13 minutes without a field goal until Teckle made a layup with 3:44 remaining in the first half. The Mountain Cats countered with seven-unanswered points to take a 42-20 lead into the break after shooting nearly 55 percent in the first half. 

Cal U scored the initial basket of the second half on a layup by Smith before mounting a 14-4 run over a four-minute stretch to trail 48-36. The Vulcans continued to trim the deficit after shooting five-of-five from the floor, including three-of-three from long range, over a two-minute span. Three different players scored as part of a 9-0 rally as Cal U cut the lead to one possession, 61-58, with 6:18 remaining. Both teams traded buckets over the next five-plus minutes before a three-pointer by Teckle trimmed the deficit to 76-70 with 38 seconds left. The Mountains Cats secured the victory after shooting six-of-six from the charity stripe. 

The Vulcans shot 55.9 percent in the second half before finishing the game with a .391 field-goal percentage (25-of-64). Meanwhile, the Mountain Cats converted 33-of-64 (51.6 percent) from the floor and made 75.0 percent (12-of-16) from the free-throw line. UPJ held a 41-33 rebounding advantage and scored 38 points in the paint, while Cal U managed 22 points off the bench. 

Senior forward Isaac Vescovi finished with 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting and added four rebounds and three assists in 38 minutes. Sophomore Josh Wise tallied 18 points on 7-of-16 attempts and collected six rebounds and two assists, while teammate Dale Clancy totaled 16 points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals in 38 minutes. 

The Vulcans return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 14, when they face Mercyhurst at the Convocation Center in PSAC West action at 7:30 p.m.