GLENVILLE, W.Va. (Dec. 1) – Sophomore Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) scored a team-high 23 points and redshirt sophomore Philip Alexander (Laurel, Md./Mt. Zion Prep) posted a double-double, as the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team secured an 83-72 victory at Glenville State in non-conference action on Sunday afternoon.
 
With the win, the Vulcans extend their win streak to five-straight games and improve to 5-2 overall and hold a 2-1 record against Mountain East Conference (MEC) opponents this year. It marks the first five-game winning streak for the program since the 2011-12 campaign when Cal U started the season with a 5-0 record. Meanwhile, the Pioneers drop back-to-back games and fall to 4-2 this season after being held to a season-low in points on Sunday.
 
Collins scored a season high in points and matched a career high in field-goals made after converting 11-of-18 from the field. The Virginia native also added seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 40 minutes of action. Collins has scored in double-figures in six-consecutive games and ranks second on the team in scoring at 15.6 points per game this season.
 
Alexander registered his first collegiate double-double after totaling 19 points on 8-of-16 attempts and a career-high 11 rebounds (seven offensive), plus tallied two assists and two steals, in 39 minutes. He is averaging 19.5 points per game over the last two contests while shooting 61.5 percent from the floor.
 
Junior Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) finished with 17 points after making eight-of-nine from the free-throw line against the Pioneers. He also tallied four rebounds and five assists in 40 minutes of play.
 
Freshman Luke House (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop John Carroll) recorded nine points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 40 minutes, while sophomore Jermaine Hall, Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) returned to the lineup after missing the last three games and posted eight points, seven rebounds and three assists in 20 minutes. Freshman Babatunde Ajike (Cherry Hill, N.J./Camden Catholic) scored seven points and added eight rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes off the bench.
 
The Vulcans established an early 13-6 advantage after starting the contest shooting six-of-eight from the field, led by Alexander with six points. The Pioneers responded by scoring seven of the next nine points to cut the deficit to 15-13 at the 13:49-mark. Cal U countered with eight-unanswered points to take a 23-13 lead before the Vulcans used a 9-3 run to stretch the advantage to 32-16 with 9:19 remaining in the first half. Glenville State then went on a 15-4 rally over a five-plus minute span to close the gap to 36-31, while Cal U was held to just four shot attempts and forced into four turnovers during that stretch. The Vulcans would score on a pair of layups in the closing minutes to hold a 41-33 lead at halftime.
 
In the second half, Cal U converted three-of-five shots in the opening two-plus minutes to stretch the lead to 49-37 at the 16:38-mark. The Pioneers started to chip away at the lead after knocking down five-of-seven from the field to trim the deficit to 55-48 with 12:35 left to play. The Vulcans responded with nine-straight points, including a three-pointer from House, to extend the advantage to 64-48 at the midway point of the second half. The teams would trade points over the next three minutes before Glenville State mounted a 13-4 rally to close the gap to 75-68 with just over three minutes remaining. Collins halted the run with a layup before both teams went scoreless for nearly two minutes. Pegram would seal the 83-72 victory after converting a perfect four-of-four from the free-throw line in the final minute.
 
Cal U finished the game shooting 47.8 percent (33-of-69) from the floor while converting 14-of-17 (82.4 percent) from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, Glenville State shot 40.0 percent (30-of-75) from the field and made just 9-of-38 (23.7 percent) from three-point range. The Vulcans held a 45-40 edge in rebounds and scored a season-high 58 points in the paint, while the Pioneers tallied 22 second-chance points.
 
Senior Phil Bledsoe posted a double-double behind a game-high 24 points on 10-of-23 shooting and 12 rebounds in 38 minutes of action. Junior Rodney Ray finished with nine points, six rebounds and two assists, while Glenville State featured three players tied at eight points in the loss.
 
The Vulcans return to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action on Saturday, Dec. 7, when they travel to face Shippensburg at 3 p.m.