ERIE, Pa. (Jan. 22) – The Vulcans only led the game for the final 37 seconds of the contest before claiming a 68-64 victory at Gannon on Wednesday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action at the Hammermill Center.
 
With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team improves to 12-6 this season with an 8-4 mark in league action. The Vulcans have now won back-to-back road games in the series for the first time since 2011 and 2012. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights drop to 7-9 overall behind a 6-6 record in conference play.
 
Freshman Luke House (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop John Carroll) registered 17 points on seven-of-eight shooting to pace the team in scoring for the third-consecutive game. He added four rebounds with zero turnovers in 40 minutes of action. House is averaging 20.7 points and shooting 70.3 percent from the field over the last three games.
 
Sophomore Jermaine Hall, Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) scored a season-high 15 points on four-of-seven attempts, including three treys, plus a team-high seven rebounds in 28 minutes. Sophomore Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) finished with 15 points and four rebounds in 38 minutes, while junior Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) tallied 13 points behind eight-of-eight from the free-throw line, nine assists, four rebounds and two steals in 40 minutes on Wednesday.
 
With 3:24 left in the second half, Gannon held a 61-56 advantage following a traditional three-point play before Collins cut into the lead with a pair at the charity stripe. House then converted a jumper before freshman Tim Smith, Jr. (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood) made a layup to tie the contest at 62-62 with 1:04 remaining. The Vulcans then forced consecutive turnovers that led to a pair of layups for Collins, but the Golden Knights countered with their own layup to trail 66-64 with eight seconds left. Pegram then sealed the game on the free-throw line, as Cal U secured a 68-64 victory behind a 10-2 run in the final two-plus minutes.
 
The Golden Knights opened the game with a 12-2 run over the initial four minutes of the first half before the Vulcans converted three-straight three-pointers, 14-10. Gannon then stretched the advantage to 19-12 at the 12:25-mark before Pegram and House both made a trey to close the gap to 19-18. Gannon would snap a four-plus minute scoreless drought with a three-pointer and take a 27-21 lead with 5:41 left in the half. Cal U responded by scoring six of the next eight points to trim the deficit to 29-27, but the Golden Knights answered with consecutive buckets. Hall would convert a pair from the free-throw line, as the Vulcans trailed 33-29 at the break.
 
In the second half, Gannon went on a 10-3 rally to stretch the lead 43-32 at the 17:18-mark before Cal U scored eight-unanswered points to cut the deficit to 43-40. The Golden Knights continued to hold a 47-42 advantage until House totaled five-straight points to tie the game at 47-47, the first tie of the entire contest. Gannon quickly tallied seven of the next nine points to reclaim the lead at 54-49 with 7:54 left. The Vulcans knotted the game at 56-56 with a 7-2 rally before the Golden Knight scored five-consecutive points, 61-56.
 
The Vulcans finished the game with a .435 field-goal percentage (20-of-46) and made 19-of-20 (95.0 percent) from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights shot 42.6 percent (23-of-54) from the floor and converted 7-of-21 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc. Cal U held a 30-27 rebounding advantage and scored 22 points in the paint, while Gannon tallied 23 points off turnovers.
 
Sophomore Victor Olawoye scored a career-high 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including five-of-eight from three-point range. He added eight rebounds, four steals and one block in 35 minutes. Senior DeAnte Cisero recorded 19 points on 8-of-17 attempts, plus four rebounds and two steals in 36 minutes, while sophomore Kevin Dodds finished with eight points and six rebounds in 28 minutes.
 
Cal U begins a three-game homestand on Saturday, Jan. 25, when it hosts defending-Atlantic Region Champion Mercyhurst in the Convocation Center at 3 p.m.