GREENSBURG, Pa. (Feb. 27) – Sophomore
Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) scored 27 of his game-high 33 points in the second half, as the Vulcans erased a 20-point deficit to claim an 89-76 victory at Seton Hill on Wednesday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.
With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team improves to 8-18 overall with a 6-14 mark in league action. Meanwhile, the Griffins fall to 9-17 this season behind a 7-13 record in conference play, while still managing to clinch a spot in the PSAC Tournament.
Pegram finished with 33 points on 11-of-23 shooting after tallying 27 points in the second half on 9-of-16 attempts. He also converted four from beyond the arc and shot seven-of-eight from the free-throw line. The Maryland native tallied four rebounds, seven assists and five steals while playing 38 minutes at Seton Hill. He now has tallied three 30-point games this season and leads the team in scoring with 18.5 points per game.
The freshmen duo of
Collin MacAdams (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) and
Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) combined for 43 points in the contest versus the Griffins. MacAdams tallied 22 points on 9-of-13 shots, his fifth 20-point game this year, and added eight rebounds in 32 minutes of action. Collins totaled 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting behind 6-of-10 from the charity stripe. He also recorded four rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block while playing all 40 minutes. The Virginia native has registered five 20-point games and is averaging 20.4 points over the last five games. Redshirt junior
Donte' Williams (Buffalo, N.Y./Bishop Timon) notched 10 points and four rebounds in 35 minutes off the bench.
Seton Hill scored 11-consecutive points to open the game after shooting four-of-six from the field before Cal U knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to trail 11-6 at the 16:45-mark. The Griffins led 14-10 in the first half before mounting an 8-2 run to take a 22-12 advantage. Both teams exchanged the next four baskets before Seton Hill established a 40-20 lead after converting three-of-four from the field, including three from beyond the arc over a nearly three-minute stretch. The Vulcans responded by making three-straight shots, including five points from Williams, to close the gap to 40-28 with 4:11 remaining before the break. The Griffins were able to build the advantage back to 47-31, but the Vulcans countered once again with consecutive three-pointers and layup from MacAdams to trail 49-41 at halftime.
In the second half, Seton Hill maintained control with a 57-47 lead at the 15:20-mark after both teams traded the opening seven shots. Pegram answered with nine-straight points on four-of-four shooting for the Vulcans to cut the deficit to 59-56 before the Griffins scored four-straight points to extend the lead to 63-56. Cal U countered with a 15-2 run after knocking down six-of-nine shots to establish a 73-65 lead, while Seton Hill made one shot and committed four turnovers in a nearly five-minute span. The Griffins answered with a three-pointer before both team went scoreless for almost two minutes. After Seton Hill closed the gap to one possession, Pegram tallied seven-unanswered points for the Vulcans to take an 80-70 advantage with 2:46 remaining. Cal U converted 9-of-12 from the free-throw line down the stretch to seal an 89-76 win.
The Vulcans shot 50.0 percent (32-of-64) from the field and converted 17-of-23 (73.9 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Griffins finished the game with a .460 field-goal percentage (29-of-63) and made 10-of-31 attempts (32.3 percent) from long range. Seton Hill held a 43-29 rebounding advantage, while Cal U forced 17 turnovers that resulted in 22 points.
Senior Trevor Blondin finished with 27 points on 12-of-20 attempts and added six rebounds, while junior Nathan Davis posted a double-double with 21 points and 16 rebounds. Senior Milenko Predic totaled 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the losing effort.
Cal U concludes the regular season on Saturday, March 2, when it travels to face Clarion with tip-off set for 3 p.m.
