SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. (Dec. 7) – Facing the league leader in scoring defense, the Vulcans were held to a season low in points in a 79-60 loss at Shippensburg on Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action.
 
With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team falls to 5-3 this season behind a 2-1 record in conference play. The Vulcans had their five-game winning streak snapped and have now lost the previous four meetings in the series. Meanwhile, Shippensburg improves to 7-1 overall with a 3-0 mark in league action while holding opponents to just 63.6 points per game.
 
Junior Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) tallied a team-high 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting and added two rebounds, six assists and three steals in 39 minutes against the Raiders. The Maryland native has led the team in scoring in four games this year while averaging 18.0 points and 5.1 assists per game.
 
Sophomore Philip Alexander (Laurel, Md./Mt. Zion Prep) scored 14 points on six-of-eight attempts and added three rebounds, two assists and one block in 28 minutes, while classmate Jermaine Hall, Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) finished with 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting, plus a team-high nine rebounds (four offensive), in 27 minutes on Saturday. Sophomore Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) registered eight points, two rebounds and three steals in 34 minutes of action.
 
The Vulcans raced out to a 10-4 advantage behind seven-straight points from Hall before the Raiders answered with back-to-back buckets with 15:47 remaining in the first half. Cal U would score seven of the next nine points to take a 17-10 advantage before consecutive three-pointers by Shippensburg closed the gap to 18-16 at 13:29-mark. The Vulcans stretched the lead to 24-17 before the Raiders scored six-unanswered points to cut the deficit to 24-23 with 8:09 left. Cal U then converted four-of-six from the field to take a 32-26 lead before Shippensburg went on a 7-2 rally, as the Vulcans held a 34-33 advantage at halftime.
 
In the second half, Cal U maintained a 41-39 lead after a three-pointer from freshman Luke House (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop John Carroll) with 17:29 left to play. The Raiders quickly made a jumper to tie the contest before both teams went scoreless over the next three-plus minutes. The teams traded baskets before Shippensburg mounted a 17-2 run on five-of-eight shooting with three treys to take a 63-47 advantage with 6:12 remaining. During the run, the Vulcans were held to one made field-goal and forced into four turnovers. The Raiders held the lead down the stretch and made six-of-eight from the charity stripe to claim the 79-60 win.
 
The Vulcans finished the game with a .388 field-goal percentage (26-of-67) and made just 5-of-25 (20.0 percent) from three-point range. Meanwhile, the Raiders shot 45.0 percent (27-of-60) from the floor and converted 19-of-25 (76.0 percent) from the free-throw line. Shippensburg held a 50-28 rebounding advantage and scored 19 second-chance points on 17 offensive rebounds, while Cal U tallied 36 points in the paint.
 
Senior John Castello posted a double-double with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting and 15 rebounds in 37 minutes. Junior Jake Biss scored 17 points on 6-of-11 attempts, plus added two rebounds and four assists, while senior Daylon Carter finished with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists in 17 minutes off the bench.
 
Cal U is idle for over a week before returning to action on Dec. 17 when it travels to face Carlow in non-conference play in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, starting at 7 p.m.