CLARION, Pa. (Feb. 22) – The Vulcans matched a season-high with 18 made three-pointers on Saturday afternoon, while moving past Clarion by a 79-54 margin in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.
With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team claims its third-straight victory to improve to 18-8 this season behind a 14-6 mark in league action. The Vulcans also secured their first home PSAC Tournament game since the 2007-08 season following a loss by Gannon on Saturday night. Meanwhile, Clarion falls to 5-22 overall with a 4-17 record in conference play.
Sophomore
Jermaine Hall, Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) scored a game-high 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including five-of-eight from beyond the arc. He added two rebounds, two assists and one block while playing 29 minutes on Saturday. Hall is averaging 17.7 points over his last six games, including three contests with at least 20 points.
Redshirt sophomore
Philip Alexander (Laurel, Md./Mt. Zion Prep) finished with 16 points on six-of-nine attempts with four three-pointers, plus six rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench. Junior
Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) tallied 13 points, two rebounds, four assists and two steals in 23 minutes due to foul trouble, while sophomore
Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) recorded 12 points, three rebounds and two blocks in 34 minutes. Freshman
Luke House (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop John Carroll) posted a season-high 13 rebounds (12 defensive) with nine points and five assists in 29 minutes.
The Vulcans opened the game on a 15-5 run, led by House with six points, to take the early advantage in the initial six-plus minutes. Clarion answered with a layup before Cal U converted five-of-nine from the field with five three-pointers to stretch the lead to 29-10 at the 6:26-mark. Both sides traded points over the next three minutes before Alexander converted a trey to send the Vulcans into the break with a 38-15 advantage. The Cal U defense held Clarion to just 6-of-35 (17.1 percent) from the floor in the first half, including 0-of-10 from long range.
The Golden Eagles started the second half with a layup before the Vulcans scored 10-straight points to take a 48-17 lead with 16:58 remaining. Both teams exchanged points over a nearly two-minute span before Cal U tallied eight of the next 10 points to hold a 64-26 lead with 10:40 left. Clarion would use a 9-3 run to close the gap to 67-35 before totaling five of the next eight points, 70-40. The Vulcans responded with five-consecutive points before the Golden Eagles countered with a 9-0 rally to trim the deficit to 75-49 with 2:34 remaining. Cal U scored a pair of baskets in the final two minutes to seal a 79-54 victory on Saturday.
The Vulcans finished the game with a .431 field-goal percentage (28-of-65) and made 18-of-37 (48.6 percent) from long range. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles shot 27.7 percent (18-of-65) from the floor and converted just 3-of-18 (16.7 percent) from beyond the arc. Cal U finished with a slight 44-43 rebounding advantage and totaled 21 points off the bench and 18 second-chance points.
Freshman Jaiquil Johnson registered 18 points on 5-of-10 shots and six-of-six from the free-throw line. He also totaled two rebounds, one block and one steal in 18 minutes off the bench. Senior Stevan Rodriguez posted six points, six rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes, while teammate Elijah Cottrill finished with five points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals in 35 minutes.
Cal U returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 26, when it travels to Erie, Pennsylvania, to face Mercyhurst, starting at 7:30 p.m.
