WEST CHESTER, Pa. (Dec. 20) – Despite nearly erasing a 16-point second-half deficit, the Vulcans suffered an 82-81 loss at No. 14 West Chester on Friday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action.
 
With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team falls to 6-4 this season behind a 2-2 mark in league play. The Vulcans have lost three of their four games this season by one possession. Meanwhile, West Chester remains undefeated and improves to 10-0 overall with a 4-0 record in conference action.
 
Freshman Luke House (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop John Carroll) scored a season-high 22 points on 7-of-15 from the floor, including four treys, plus five rebounds, while playing all 40 minutes. The Norristown native has scored in double-figures seven times this season and is tied for second on the team with 13.7 points per game.
 
Sophomore Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) finished with 16 points (12 second half) on 7-of-13 shooting and added eight rebounds and two steals in 32 minutes. The Virginia native is averaging 13.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game this year.
 
Junior Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) registered 12 points, including five-of-eight from the free-throw line, plus totaled three rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes, while freshman Tim Smith, Jr. (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood) scored a season-high 11 points in 22 minutes off the bench. Sophomore Jermaine Hall, Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) tallied 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes
 
In the second half, West Chester mounted a 19-9 run to build its largest lead of the game at 16 points, 57-41, with 12:24 left to play. The Vulcans answered by scoring seven of the next eight points in just over a minute, led by House with five points. The Golden Rams would stretch the advantage to 65-52 at the 7:34-mark before Cal U responded with nine-consecutive points in under two minutes to close the gap to 65-61. West Chester countered with a 9-1 run to hold a 74-62 lead with 2:12 remaining in the second half, but the Vulcans continued to chip away at the lead by going on a 9-2 rally. With 35 seconds left, House converted a layup to cut the deficit to 77-73 before West Chester made five-of-six from the charity stripe to hold an 82-78 advantage with seven seconds remaining. Collins would race down the floor and knocked down a running three-pointer with two seconds left, 82-81. The Vulcans then forced a turnover at mid-court before Collins put up a last-second shot that bounced off the rim, as the Golden Rams escaped with the win.
 
The Golden Rams raced out to an 11-3 advantage after converting four-of-nine from the field in the opening three-plus minutes. The Vulcans responded by scoring six of the next nine points to cut the deficit to 14-9 at the 13:43-mark. West Chester would stretch the lead to 19-13 before Cal U countered with seven-unanswered points on three-of-four shooting to take a 20-19 lead with 9:36 left in the first half. House then extend the lead on a three-pointer, but the Golden Rams answered with a 12-0 run to reclaim a 33-23 advantage. Smith halted the run with a layup before West Chester extended the lead to 38-27 with 1:27 remaining. The Vulcans closed the first half with five-straight points to trail 38-32 at the break.
 
The Vulcans finished the game with a .439 field-goal percentage (29-of-66) after shooting 16-of-33 (48.5 percent) in the second half. Meanwhile, the Golden Rams shot 33.3 percent (21-of-63) from the floor and converted a staggering 34-of-49 (69.4 percent) from the free-throw line. West Chester held a 56-35 rebounding advantage and scored 28 second-chance points behind 21 offensive rebounds, while Cal U tallied 38 points in the paint.
 
Senior Malik Jackson posted a double-double with a game-high 24 points after converting 15-of-18 from the free-throw line and 12 rebounds in 33 minutes. Fellow senior Tim Toro finished with 16 points and seven rebounds, while freshman Kyle McGee registered a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds, plus collected five assists in 31 minutes.
 
Cal U continues PSAC Crossover play tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 21, when it travels to face Millersville at 4 p.m.