CALIFORNIA (Feb. 14) – Senior Terry Davis, Jr. (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) tied the score with a clutch three-pointer as time expired in regulation before scoring a team-high six points in the overtime period on Wednesday night, as the Vulcans secured a 73-71 victory over Mercyhurst at the Convocation Center to remain in contention for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament. 

With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball improves to 10-15 overall behind a 6-13 mark in league play. The Vulcans currently sit in seventh place in the divisional standings and now trail the Lakers by 3.0 games with three contests remaining. Cal U would need to win out and Mercyhurst has to lose three-straight to capture the sixth and final playoff spot. The Vulcans also matched their win total from last season and look to get over the 10-win threshold for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign. Meanwhile, the Lakers fall to 12-11 this season with a 9-10 record in conference action. 

Senior Isaiah Lewis (Brooklyn, N.Y./Christ the King) led the team with a team-high 18 points and made six-of-nine from the free-throw line. He added five rebounds and three assists while playing 32 minutes on Wednesday. Davis finished with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including two-of-three from beyond the arc, and collected eight rebounds (three offensive) and two assists in 30 minutes off the bench. A native of Indiana, Davis scored in double-figures for the first time in over a month. 

Senior Robel Teckle (Washington, D.C./Friendship Collegiate Academy) tallied 11 points on four-of-six attempts, including three-of-four from long range, and added five rebounds in 41 minutes. Junior Jahmere Howze (Cleveland, Ohio/Warrensville Heights) scored 12 points after making a perfect six-of-six from the free-throw line and collected eight rebounds (five offensive), three assists and two steals while playing 41 minutes against the Lakers. He continues to lead the team this season with 16.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. 

In overtime, Cal U scored four-unanswered points before both teams failed to convert a field goal for nearly two minutes. Senior Cordell Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Shaw) responded with a four-point play with 1:07 left in the game to give the Vulcans a 69-62 lead. Each team traded points at the charity stripe before the Lakers trimmed the deficit to 72-71 with three seconds remaining. Davis made the front-end of a pair from the line before Mercyhurst called a timeout after the second attempt was off the mark. Smith stole the ball on the inbound pass and time expired, as the Vulcans captured the 73-71 victory.

The Lakers converted the initial basket of the game before the Vulcans mounted an 11-2 rally to take an early 11-4 lead. During the run, Cal U shot four-of-five from the field and forced Mercyhurst into three turnovers over a five-plus minute stretch. The Lakers responded with nine-unanswered points to reclaim the lead at 13-11 with 12:02 left in the first half. Cal U quickly tied the game before retaking the lead at 16-15 on a layup by Davis. Mercyhurst countered with an 11-5 run to take a 26-21 advantage with 4:18 remaining in the half. The Vulcans made just two-of-nine attempts during that span before trimming the deficit to 29-27 on a pair of free-throws by Howze. The Lakers made a three-point play in the closing minutes to take a 34-30 lead into the break. 

Cal U open the second half on a 9-0 run, but Mercyhurst answered back with three-consecutive three-pointers to hold a 43-39 lead. Both teams struggled from the floor scoring a combined 15 points and committing six turnovers over a six-minute stretch. Lewis scored five-straight points to give Cal U the lead before Mercyhurst once again the reclaimed the lead after a pair of free-throws to take a 60-56 advantage with 28 seconds left. The Lakers failed to close out the contest, shooting just one-of-five from the charity stripe in the final 22 seconds. Mercyhurst went to the line with 5.4 seconds remaining and missed the back-end of a pair from the line to hold a 61-58 lead. Davis grabbed the rebound and sprinted to the other end of the court to convert a clutch three-pointer as time expired to send the game into overtime, 61-61. 

Cal U posted a .424 field-goal percentage (25-of-59) and made 7-of-17 (41.2 percent) from three-point range. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst converted 41.9 percent (26-of-62) from the field and was 12-of-23 (52.2 percent) from the free-throw line. The Lakers held a 43-38 rebounding advantage and tallied 18 second-chance points, while the Vulcans totaled 20 points off of 19 turnovers. 

Senior guard Malcolm Walters finished with a game-high 19 points on 7-of-19 shooting and added six rebounds (three offensive) and four steals in 39 minutes, while teammate Lorenzo Collier posted 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting and collected three assists and two steals. Junior Edvaldo Ferreira totaled 11 points, eight rebounds (three offensive), three assists and two steals in 32 minutes. Freshman Derrick Ellis posted 10 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals in the loss. 

Cal U returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 17, when it plays its final road game of the regular season at IUP with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m.