PITTSBURGH (Dec. 17) – Junior
Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) set career highs with 36 points and nine assists, as the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team rolled to a 95-61 victory at Carlow on Tuesday night in non-conference play.
With the win, the Vulcans improve to 6-3 overall with a 4-2 mark in non-conference play. Cal U scored a season high in points against Carlow while featuring four players in double-figures. Meanwhile, the Celtics drop to 0-12 this season and hold a 0-3 record against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opponents.
Pegram converted 13-of-18 from the field, including five-of-nine from beyond the arc, and added three steals in 35 minutes of action. The Maryland native has now scored at least 30 points four times in his career after accomplishing the feat three different times last season. Pegram is now just one of five players in the conference averaging at least 20.0 points per game this year.
Freshman
Luke House (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop John Carroll) finished with 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting and tallied eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block in 36 minutes. Sophomore
Philip Alexander (Laurel, Md./Mt. Zion Prep) registered 16 points on six-of-eight shooting, including four treys, plus three assists and one block in 25 minutes of play. Classmate
Jermaine Hall, Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) posted his first double-double of the season with 13 points on 6-of-12 attempts and 14 rebounds (eight offensive), plus three assists, in 27 minutes. He is averaging 13.0 points and 11.5 rebounds over the previous two games.
Both teams traded points in the initial five minutes of the contest, as the Vulcans held a 12-10 advantage after shooting six-of-eight from the floor. Cal U then scored nine-unanswered points, led by Pegram with five points, to take a 19-10 lead with 13:35 remaining in the first half before Carlow responded with back-to-back three-pointers. The Vulcans countered with a 16-0 run over the next four-plus minutes to take a 35-16 advantage at the 7:50-mark. During the run, Cal U shot 7-of-10 from the floor with six different players scoring in that span. Both teams would go scoreless over the next two minutes before the Vulcans closed the half by converting 5-of-10 attempts with Alexander and Pegram combining for 11 points. Cal U held a 51-26 lead at the break while making 55.0 percent (22-of-40) from the field.
In the second half, Carlow answered with a 13-2 rally on five-of-seven shooting to cut the deficit to 59-42 at the 14:08-mark. Alexander would halt the run with a three-pointer before Pegram scored five-straight points to extend the lead to 67-45, but the Celtics responded with consecutive jumpers. The Vulcans then went on a 26-2 run over the next seven minutes to stretch the lead 93-51 with 3:03 left after knocking down 10-of-18 shots, led by Pegram and House with a combined 20 points. During that span, Carlow was forced into five turnovers and made just 1-of-11 from the field.
Cal U finished the game shooting 46.9 percent (38-of-81) from the floor while converting 11-of-31 (35.5 percent) from three-point range. Meanwhile, Carlow shot 39.3 percent (22-of-56) from the field and made 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) from the free-throw line. The Vulcans held a 49-32 rebound advantage and scored 31 points off of 22 turnovers forced, while also tallying a season-high 25 assists in the win.
Senior Rece Henneman led the team with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting and added three rebounds in 30 minutes, while freshman Tre' Harvey scored 11 points and tallied six rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes. Sophomore Marcus Millien and freshman Eugene Goodwine each finished with 10 points in the loss.
The Vulcans return to PSAC Crossover action on Friday, Dec. 20, when they travel to face No. 14 West Chester at 7:30 p.m.
