GREENSBURG, Pa. (Jan. 15) – Freshman
Luke House (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop John Carroll) scored a season-high 27 points on Wednesday night, as the Vulcans claimed an 88-74 victory at Seton Hill in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.
With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team improve to 11-5 this season with a 7-3 mark in league action. The Vulcans have now won four-straight games and are tied for third in the divisional standings. Meanwhile, Seton Hill falls to 2-11 overall with a 1-9 record in conference play.
House led all players with 27 points on 11-of-13 shooting, including five-of-six from beyond the arc. He also added four rebounds, two assists and two steals while playing all 40 minutes on Wednesday. House is averaging 17.0 points and 6.0 rebounds over the last eight games and has scored in double-figures 12 times this season.
Junior
Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) totaled 19 points on 6-of-11 attempts with four treys, while collecting four rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes. Sophomore
Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) registered 17 points, nine rebounds, six assists, two steals and three blocks in 30 minutes of action. Freshman
Babatunde Ajike (Cherry Hill, N.J./Camden Catholic) posted 11 points on four-of seven shots, nine rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes off the bench.
The Vulcans converted four-of-seven shots to begin the contest with a 12-6 lead before both teams exchanged baskets over a three-plus minute span. Cal U would stretch the advantage to 34-17 at the 9:06-mark with a 12-3 run, led by Pegram and Ajike with a combined nine points. The Vulcans held a 40-24 lead with 5:34 left in the first half before scoring 11 of the next 13 points over two-plus minutes to extend the lead to 51-26. Both teams traded baskets in the final minutes of the half, as Cal U held a 56-32 advantage at halftime.
The Griffins opened the second half with a 9-1 rally to cut the deficit to 57-41 before the Vulcans countered with seven-unanswered points, 64-41. Seton Hill then cut the deficit to 70-55 with 11:19 left after making five-of-seven shots, including four three-pointers in a four-minute span. Cal U would knock down three-of-five from the field and a perfect four-of-four from the free-throw line over the next five minutes to hold a commanding 82-63 advantage with 5:29 remaining.
The Vulcans finished the game with a season-high .526 field-goal percentage (30-of-57) and made 11-of-20 (55.0 percent) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Griffins shot 44.6 percent (29-of-65) from the floor and converted 7-of-22 (31.8 percent) from long range. Cal U held a slight 36-34 rebounding advantage and scored 36 points in the paint, while Seton Hill tallied 33 points off the bench.
Freshman Jimmy Moon posted a double-double with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 10 rebounds in 33 minutes. Sophomore Kealen Coats collected 12 points and two rebounds, while freshman Samuel Tabe tallied 10 points on four-of-eight shots in 23 minutes. Senior Nathan Davis was limited to just eight points after entering the game averaging 19.8 points per game this year.
Cal U continues its road trip on Saturday, Jan. 18, by traveling to face defending-PSAC Champion and No. 7 IUP in PSAC West action at 7:30 p.m.
