CALIFORNIA (Feb. 19) – Junior Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) surpassed 1,000 career points at Cal U on Wednesday night, as the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team secured an 82-69 victory over Seton Hill in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action at the Convocation Center.
 
With the win, the Vulcans sweep the season series over Seton Hill and improve to 17-8 overall with a 13-6 record in conference play. Cal U remains in fourth place in the divisional standings with three games left in the regular season, while sitting just one-game back of second place in the PSAC West. Meanwhile, the Griffins drop their fifth-straight contest to fall to 4-19 this season behind a 3-16 mark in league action.
 
Pegram scored 23 points on 5-of-10 from the floor with three treys and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. He also added three assists and two steals while playing all 40 minutes against Seton Hill. Pegram becomes the program's first 1,000-point scorer since Borris Mesnager (2003-06) accomplished the feat. Including his freshmen year at Wheeling, he has scored over 1,200 career points in his collegiate career.
 
Sophomore Jermaine Hall, Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) posted his third double-double of the season after totaling 20 points and 10 rebounds in the win. The Maryland native shot seven-of-nine from the field and added two assists and three steals in 37 minutes of action. Hall is averaging 17.0 points and 7.8 rebounds over the last five games, including four contests in double-figures.
 
Freshman Luke House (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop John Carroll) finished with 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting, plus five rebounds and six assists in 40 minutes, while redshirt sophomore Philip Alexander (Laurel, Md./Mt. Zion Prep) registered eight points, four rebounds and three assists in his first start since Jan. 3.
 
In the first half, both sides exchanged points in the initial three-plus minutes of the contest before Cal U mounted a 14-0 run on a perfect five-of-five shooting with four treys to take a 20-6 advantage at the 13:14-mark. The Griffins halted the run with a jumper before both teams went scoreless for a two-minute stretch. Seton Hill snapped the drought with back-to-back buckets before the Vulcans answered with a 9-2 rally to extend the lead to 33-16 with 5:23 left before the break. Four different players from Cal U scored in the final four-plus minutes, as the Vulcans took a 46-27 lead into halftime.
 
The Vulcans knocked down their opening six shots of the second half to stretch the advantage to 61-36 at the 14:33-mark. The Griffins responded with six-unanswered points to cut into the deficit before Cal U countered with an 11-3 run to take a 72-45 lead with 8:15 remaining. The Vulcans continued to hold a solid lead over the next three-plus minutes, but Seton Hill answered with a 13-0 rally to trim the deficit to 80-69 with 43 seconds left. Pegram would close the game with a pair of free-throws to seal an 82-69 victory.
 
Cal U finished the game shooting a season-high 53.8 percent (28-of-52) from the floor while converting 9-of-20 (45.0 percent) from three-point range. In comparison, Seton Hill shot 50.0 percent (27-of-54) from the field and made 9-of-23 (39.1 percent) from beyond the arc. The Vulcans finished with a slight 29-27 rebounding advantage and scored 34 points in the paint and 20 points off turnovers.
 
Senior Nathan Davis finished with 18 points on 6-of-12 shots and added three assists in 36 minutes. Freshman Jaden Nelson tallied 16 points on six-of-eight attempts with four three-pointers, plus two rebounds and two assists, in 26 minutes off the bench. Fellow freshmen Drew Green and Chimaobi Ezekwesili both scored 11 points in the loss.
 
The Vulcans return to action on Saturday, Feb. 22, when they travel to face Clarion in PSAC West action at the newly renovated Tippin Gymnasium at 3 p.m.