SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. (Nov. 8) – A final second three-pointer fell short, as the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team suffered an 86-84 loss versus Bowie State on Friday night in the Clarion Hotel Classic hosted by Shepherd.
 
With the loss, the Vulcans open the year at 0-1 while featuring a starting lineup with four returners. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs improve to 1-0 this season after being selected as the preseason favorite in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) poll with a roster of 10 combined seniors and juniors this season. The contest featured 10 different lead changes and nine ties over 40 minutes of play.
 
Junior Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) paced the team with 24 points on 7-of-18 shooting and added five-of-seven from the free-throw line. He also recorded a team-leading five assists and tallied three rebounds and three steals in 40 minutes of action. He scored at least 20 points in 10 games last season, while leading the team with 18.5 points per game last year.
 
Redshirt sophomore Philip Alexander (Laurel, Md./Mt. Zion Prep) scored a career-high 19 points on 6-of-11 from the floor, including five-of-seven from beyond the arc. He added three rebounds and three steals in 28 minutes of play. Alexander missed the entirety of last season due to injury after averaging 6.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per game a true freshman.
 
Freshman Babatunde Ajike (Cherry Hill, N.J. /Camden Catholic) finished with 10 points on five-of-eight shooting and totaled six rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes off the bench in his collegiate debut. Classmate Luke House (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop John Carroll) totaled nine points and three assists in his college debut, while sophomore Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) posted eight points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals in 29 minutes. Sophomore Jermaine Hall, Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) battled foul trouble and registered seven points and a team-leading eight rebounds in 23 minutes.
 
Cal U took an early 12-8 advantage in the opening five minutes of the game after knocking down four-of-five shots, led by Alexander with four points. Bowie State answered with an 8-0 run over a nearly two-minute stretch to take a 16-12 lead with 13:08 left in the half. The Vulcans countered with six-straight points and forced the Bulldogs into three turnovers to reclaim the advantage at 18-16. Bowie State responded with a jumper before Pegram made consecutive three-pointers to hold a 24-18 lead at the 9:05-mark. The Bulldogs would trim the deficit to 30-29 with an 11-6 rally over almost a five-minute span and made five-of-seven from the floor. Bowie State tied the game at 30-30 with 2:51 remaining before the teams traded points down the stretch. The Vulcans converted four-of-seven shooting in the final two-plus minutes to take a 40-37 lead into halftime.
 
Bowie State tied the game at 48-48 after beginning the second half by making five-of-eight shots over a four-minute span. The Bulldogs then went on a 10-4 run to take a 58-52 advantage before Pegram halted the stretch with a three-pointer. Cal U would grab a 66-65 lead at the 11:04-mark of the second half after a four-point play by Alexander. Bowie State would go on a 9-3 rally and forced the Vulcans into three turnovers before Ajike made a layup to trim the deficit to 74-71. Both teams went scoreless for nearly two minutes before the Bulldogs built an 82-76 lead with 1:31 left in the contest. Alexander then converted a three-pointer to close the gap to 82-79 with 42 seconds left before both teams made a pair of shots from the free-throw line. Bowie State held an 85-81 lead with 12 seconds remaining before Pegram cut the deficit by scoring the next three points to trail 86-84. Pegram then recorded a steal before the final second three-pointer missed the mark, as Bowie State secured the 86-84 victory.
 
Cal U finished the game shooting 45.5 percent (30-of-66) from the floor while converting 14-of-33 (42.4 percent) from three-point range. Meanwhile, Bowie State made 53.4 percent (31-58) from the field and made 18-of-27 (66.7 percent) from the charity stripe. The Bulldogs held a 38-30 rebounding advantage and scored 44 bench points.
 
Senior Juwan Smith scored a game-high 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting and totaled three rebounds and three steals in 30 minutes off the bench. Classmate Cameron Hayes finished with 17 points on 7-of-13 from the field and added three rebounds and two steals in 29 minutes. Redshirt senior David Belle and junior Justin Route finished with 15 and 11 points, respectively.
 
The Vulcans continue play at the Clarion Hotel Classic tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 9, when they face Charleston (W.Va.) in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, starting at 4 p.m.