CALIFORNIA (Jan. 29) – Behind four players scoring in double-figures on Wednesday night, the Vulcans claimed a 76-67 victory over Clarion to close out the opening round of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action at the Convocation Center.
With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team improves to 14-6 this season with a 10-4 mark in league play. The Vulcans have won six of the last seven meetings against the Golden Eagles and remain in third place in the divisional standings. Meanwhile, Clarion drops to 4-16 overall behind a 3-11 record in conference action under first-year head coach Damian Pitts.
Freshman
Tim Smith, Jr. (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood) posted a season-high 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting against the Golden Eagles. He added five rebounds, two assists and one block in 36 minutes of action. Smith has scored in double-figures in four of the last six games while averaging 12.2 points over that stretch.
Fellow freshman
Luke House (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop John Carroll) finished with 15 points on six-of-nine shooting, including three-of-six from beyond the arc. He also totaled six rebounds and two steals with zero turnovers while playing all 40 minutes. Sophomore
Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) registered 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in 36 minutes, while junior
Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) tallied 12 points and six assists in 29 minutes. Sophomore
Jermaine Hall, Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) collected a game-high nine rebounds, while adding six points, three assists and two blocks in 25 minutes.
Clarion converted five-of-eight shots to start the contest to take an 11-6 advantage at the 15:13-mark. The Vulcans answered by making four-straight shots, led by Smith with five points, to tie the contest at 13-13. The Golden Eagles would reclaim the lead at 17-16 before both sides went scoreless for two-plus minutes. Cal U then scored six of the next eight points to take a 22-21 lead with 7:49 left in the first half before Clarion scored five-unanswered points, 26-22. Both teams exchanged baskets over the final four minutes of the half with Clarion holding a 32-30 lead at the break.
In the second half, the Golden Eagles stretched the advantage to 39-32 after scoring seven of the initial nine points. The Vulcans responded with a 12-2 rally on a perfect four-of-four shooting to take the lead at 44-41 with 17:02 left in the contest. Clarion managed to close the gap to 48-47, but Cal U scored back-to-back baskets to extend the lead to 52-47 with 11:22 remaining. The Golden Eagles then used a 10-4 run to take a 57-56 lead in the final five minutes. The Vulcans countered with a 13-2 rally on six-of-seven attempts over four-plus minutes to reclaim the lead, 69-59. Cal U converted six-of-seven from the charity stripe to seal the victory by a 76-67 margin.
The Vulcans finished the game with a .420 field-goal percentage (29-of-69) and made 11-of-15 (73.3 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles shot 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the floor and converted 7-of-24 (29.2 percent) from three-point range. Both teams finished the contest with 39 rebounds, while Cal U grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and scored 22 points off turnovers.
Senior Elijah Cottrill finished with 20 points on 7-of-19 shooting, plus four rebounds and three assists in 40 minutes. Senior Stevan Rodriguez totaled 19 points on 8-of-14 attempts and added seven rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench, while sophomore Kaison Branch posted 11 points, three rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes.
Cal U closes out the homestand on Saturday, Feb. 1, when it hosts Slippery Rock at Hamer Hall, starting at 3 p.m.
