CALIFORNIA (Jan. 25) – Behind a double-double of 23 points and 10 assists from junior
Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) on Saturday afternoon, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team collected a 69-51 victory over Mercyhurst at the Convocation Center in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.
With the win, the Vulcans have now won six of their last seven games and improve to 13-6 overall behind a 9-4 record in conference action. Cal U now sits in sole possession of third place in the divisional standings after both teams entered the game with identical league records. Meanwhile, the Lakers were held to a season-low in points and fall to 10-7 this season with an 8-5 mark in league play.
Pegram posted his second career double-double on Saturday while tallying 23 points on 7-of-14 shots, including 5-of-10 from three-point range. He also registered a career-high 10 assists while playing all 40 minutes against the Lakers. The Maryland native has scored at least 20 points in seven games this season, including four 30-point performances.
Sophomore
Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) finished with 18 points on 7-of-14 attempts, plus seven rebounds and two assists in 38 minutes. Freshman
Tim Smith, Jr. (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood) tallied 12 points on five-of-eight shooting and added three rebounds and two blocks in 22 minutes, while sophomore
Jermaine Hall, Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) recorded a game-high 10 rebounds with seven points and three assists in 33 minutes. Freshman
Babatunde Ajike (Cherry Hill, N.J./Camden Catholic) also collected six points and seven rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.
In the first half, both teams started slowly with the Vulcans holding just a 10-7 advantage after the initial nine-plus minutes of the action. Cal U then mounted an 11-2 run behind a trio of three-pointers to build a 21-9 lead with 6:07 left in the half. Mercyhurst then answered with a layup before the Vulcans went on a 15-4 rally, led by Smith with six points, to take a 36-15 advantage at the 1:17-mark. Collins would convert a layup in the closing seconds of the first half, as Cal U held a 38-17 lead at the break.
The teams exchanged baskets in the opening five minutes of the first half before the Lakers registered an 11-0 rally to trim the deficit to 47-37 with 12:20 remaining. Pegram snapped the run with a three-pointer before Ajike converted a layup on the following possession, 52-39. After just one-made basket over nearly four minutes, Pegram tallied eight of the next 10 points for the Vulcans to stretch the lead to 62-43 at the 4:52-mark. Mercyhurst would score its final eight points at the free-throw line, as the Vulcans finished the game with five-unanswered points to claim a 69-51 win.
Cal U finished the game shooting 50.0 percent (25-of-50) from the floor while converting 10-of-21 (47.6 percent) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst shot a season-low 27.3 percent (15-of-55) from the field and made just 1-of-24 (4.2 percent) from three-point range after entering the contest ranked fifth in the NCAA Division II in three-point field-goal percentage. The Vulcans held a 36-33 edge in rebounds and also scored 24 points in the paint.
Junior Zach McIntire posted 11 points and six rebounds in 35 minutes, while teammate Cameron Gross finished with 11 points and five rebounds in 23 minutes. Sophomore MiyKah McIntosh also tallied 11 points with four rebounds in 27 minutes.
The Vulcans continue their homestand on Wednesday, Jan. 29, when they host Clarion in the Convocation Center, starting at 7:30 p.m.
