ERIE, Pa. (Feb. 20) – Despite freshman
Collin MacAdams (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) registering his fifth double-double of the season, the Vulcans suffered an 89-61 loss at Mercyhurst on Wednesday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.
With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team drops to 7-17 overall with a 5-13 mark in league action. Meanwhile, the Lakers improve to 18-5 this season behind a 13-5 record in conference play after being featured fourth in the initial Atlantic regional rankings, which were released on Wednesday afternoon.
Sophomore
Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-17 attempts. He added two rebounds, three assists and three steals in 39 minutes of action. Pegram has led the team in scoring 11 times this season and paces the team with 18.3 points per game.
Freshman
Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) finished with 18 points on 7-of-19 shooting and added four rebounds while playing 39 minutes on Wednesday. MacAdams notched a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds in a full 40 minutes of action. He continues to have standout season with 14.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
Redshirt junior
Donte' Williams (Buffalo, N.Y./Bishop Timon) registered nine points on four-of-eight shots and tallied five rebounds in 33 minutes versus the Lakers.
Mercyhurst tallied seven of nine points to open the contest before Collins answered with a pair of layups in the initial three-plus minutes. The Lakers responded with eight-consecutive points to take a 15-4 lead until MacAdams halted the run with a layup with 14:39 remaining in the first half. Mercyhurst extended the advantage to 17-7 before the Vulcans countered with an 11-4 rally to cut the deficit to 21-18 on five-of-seven shooting over a nearly four-minute span. Both teams exchanged the next four baskets before Mercyhurst used a 21-4 run over the final seven-plus minutes to take a 47-26 advantage heading into halftime. During the rally, the Lakers shot 8-of-11 from the floor, including five three-pointers, while Cal U was held to just two field goals.
In the second half, Mercyhurst continued to hold a commanding lead, as both teams traded points over the opening seven minutes of the second half. The Lakers recorded six-straight points over a nearly three-minute stretch to take a 62-37 lead with 10:33 left, as the Vulcans failed to make a shot over that span. Cal U would answer by making five of its next eight shots and four-of-five from the charity stripe to close the gap to 74-52 with 6:05 left. After Mercyhurst snapped a two-minute scoreless drought, the Lakers made six-of-eight from the floor down the stretch to secure an 89-61 victory.
The Vulcans shot 39.0 percent (23-of-59) from the field and converted 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Lakers finished the game with a .493 field-goal percentage and made 13-of-32 attempts (40.6 percent) from beyond the arc. Mercyhurst held a 44-32 rebounding advantage and scored 40 points off the bench and tallied 25 points off of 13 turnovers.
Sophomore Derrick Ellis, Jr. and junior Trystan Pratapas each totaled 16 points, as Mercyhurst featured five players in double-figures. Ellis made 8-of-12 attempts and added three rebounds, nine assists and four steals. Pratapas converted five-of-nine shots and tallied three rebounds off the bench. Graduate student Jason Massey and freshman MiyKah McIntosh finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Fellow freshman Nicholas Lang recorded 11 points and three rebounds off the bench in the win.
Cal U returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 23, when it faces No. 2 IUP at the Convocation Center on Senior Day and Alumni Day with tip-off set for 3 p.m.
