ELKINS, W.Va. (Nov. 18) – After shooting nearly 60 percent from the field in the second half, the Vulcans posted an 86-63 victory at Davis & Elkins on Monday night in non-conference play.
With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team improves to 2-2 this season after playing three of its initial four games in West Virginia. Meanwhile, Davis & Elkins drops to 2-3 overall and holds a 1-1 record against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opponents this year.
Freshman
Luke House (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop John Carroll) finished with a season-high 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting and converted four-of-seven from beyond the arc. He also totaled a season-high nine rebounds (four offensive), two assists and four steals in 38 minutes. Junior
Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) scored 18 points (all in the second half) on 7-of-12 shots behind four three-pointers, while adding two rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes after battling foul trouble.
Sophomore
Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) scored 16 points on 8-of-14 from the field and collected a season-high nine rebounds, six assists and two steals in 35 minutes of action. Freshman
Babatunde Ajike (Cherry Hill, N.J./Camden Catholic) registered a season-high 13 points on six-of-nine shooting and added seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in 31 minutes while making his first career start.
The Vulcans opened the game on an 8-0 run after converting a perfect three-of-three from the floor before the Senators snapped the run with a layup at the 17:40-mark. Davis & Elkins closed the gap with six-unanswered points before Cal U made four-of-eight shots to stretch the lead to 19-13 with 9:52 left in the first half. The teams would trade the next eight points before House scored nine points for the Vulcans over a two-minute span to extend the lead to 32-19 with 4:34 left. Cal U would convert three-of-six from the field to close the first half and held a 39-24 advantage at the break.
In the second half, Cal U started on a 10-2 run over the initial two-plus minutes behind five points scored by Pegram, 49-26, at the 17:28-mark. The Senators would make seven-of-nine from the field to cut the deficit to 65-43 with 9:41 left. The Vulcans then went on a 16-9 run after converting six-of-nine attempts to hold an 81-52 advantage with 4:16 remaining. The Vulcans would empty the bench over the final three minutes to seal an 86-63 win on Monday.
The Vulcans finished the game with a .515 field-goal percentage (35-of-68) and made 11-of-26 (42.3 percent) from three-point range. Meanwhile, the Senators shot 50.9 percent (27-of-53) from the floor while converting just 4-of-18 (22.2 percent) from beyond the arc. Cal U held a 41-25 rebounding advantage and scored 40 points in the paint, while Davis & Elkins tallied 34 points off the bench.
Junior Myles Monroe scored 12 points on five-of-eight shooting and added four rebounds and two steals in 26 minutes of action. Teammate Patrick Wilburn finished with 11 points and two rebounds in 19 minutes, while seniors Erkam Kiris and Donte Doleman each totaled eight points in the loss.
Cal U returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 23, when it hosts Lock Haven in PSAC Crossover action, starting at 3 p.m.
