CALIFORNIA (Jan. 11) – Junior
Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) surpassed 1,000 career points behind a game-high 30 points on Saturday afternoon, as the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team cruised to a 108-71 victory over Edinboro in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play at the Convocation Center.
With the win, the Vulcans claimed their third-straight win and improve to 10-5 overall with a 6-3 mark in conference action. Cal U has now won four of its last five games and claimed its first win over Edinboro at home since 2017. Meanwhile, the Fighting Scots drop to 5-8 this season with a 2-7 mark in league action.
Pegram scored 30 points on 8-of-14 attempts, including 7-of-10 from three-point range, and seven-of-eight from the free-throw line. He also added six rebounds and five assists in 34 minutes of action. The Maryland native reached 1,000 career points on a three-pointer in the first half and has now scored over 800 points in two seasons with the program after transferring from Wheeling. Pegram has scored at least 30 points in four games this season and ranks second the PSAC with 20.8 points per game.
Sophomore
Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) finished with 17 points on 7-of-16 from the field and added six rebounds, two assists and two steals in 32 minutes of action. Freshman
Babatunde Ajike (Cherry Hill, N.J./Camden Catholic) posted 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting and totaled six rebounds and two steals in 22 minutes off the bench. Sophomore
Jermaine Hall, Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) recorded 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals in 30 minutes, while freshman
Tim Smith, Jr. (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood) contributed 12 points, three rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes.
The Fighting Scots started the contest with a 13-unanswered points before Collins halted the run with a three-pointer. The Vulcans quickly cut into the deficit with a 12-0 rally to trail 16-15 at the 13:42-mark. Edinboro responded with consecutive three-pointers to stretch the advantage before Cal U tied the contest at 22-22 with 12:01 remaining in the first half. The Fighting Scots regained the lead moments later, but the Vulcans countered with an 18-0 run on 7-of-12 shooting to take a 42-26 lead at the 5:25-mark. Edinboro closed the gap with a 13-5 rally before Collins hit a three-pointer with three seconds left in the half, as Cal U held a 50-39 lead at the break.
In the second half, both teams traded points over the initial six-plus minutes before the Vulcans scored six-straight points to extend the lead to 70-51 with 12:45 remaining. The Fighting Scots would make just one shot over the next two minutes, as Cal U went on a 14-3 run to hold an 84-56 lead with 9:25 left in the game. After both teams exchanged points for nearly three minutes, the Vulcans closed out the contest with an 18-8 run to secure a 108-71 win on Saturday.
Cal U shot 51.4 percent in the first half and finished the game with a .481 field-goal percentage (38-of-79). The Vulcans also converted a season-high 18-of-38 (47.4 percent) from beyond the arc and made 70.0 percent (14-of-20) from the free-throw line. In comparison, the Fighting Scots made 39.0 percent (23-of-59) from the floor behind 11-of-32 (34.4 percent) from long range. The Vulcans finished with a 48-36 rebounding advantage, while tallying a season-high 28 assists and adding 30 points off turnovers.
Senior Daylon Harris finished with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including four treys, while graduate student Trey Staunch tallied 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes. Redshirt senior Anthony Coleman and junior Jaryn Simpson each finished with 12 points.
The Vulcans begin a three-game road trip on Wednesday, Jan. 15, when they travel to face Seton Hill in nearby Greensburg, Pennsylvania, in PSAC West action at 7:30 p.m.
