CALIFORNIA (March 2) – The California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team secured its first win in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament since the 2007-08 season after defeating Gannon by a 74-58 margin in the first round of the league tournament on Monday night at the Convocation Center.
With the win, the Vulcans improves to 19-10 this season and will travel to face top-seeded IUP, which earned a first-round bye, on Wednesday, March 4, at 7:30 p.m. Cal U claimed the program's first PSAC Tournament victory in the Convocation Center, while advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights finish the year with a 14-13 mark while making the league tournament under first-year head coach Kelvin Jefferson.
Sophomore
Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) scored a game-high 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting and 6-of-10 from the free-throw line. The Virginia native also totaled six rebounds, four assists and two steals in 35 minutes of action. Collins has scored in double-figures in five of the last six games and posted a 20-point performance for the first time since Jan. 8.
Freshman
Luke House (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop John Carroll) finished with 13 points after making six-of-six from the charity stripe, plus tallied six rebounds while playing all 40 minutes against Gannon. Junior
Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) also registered 13 points, two rebounds and six assists in 36 minutes. Sophomore
Jermaine Hall, Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) posted 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks, while freshman
Babatunde Ajike (Cherry Hill, N.J./Camden Catholic) collected a team-high eight rebounds with six points and two assists in 25 minutes off the bench.
The Golden Knights started the contest with six-unanswered points in the opening three-plus minutes, while Cal U missed its initial seven shots of the game. Pegram responded with a three-pointer that resulted in a 12-6 run for the Vulcans to tie the contest at 12-12 at the 12:27-mark. Both teams countered with one made shot over the next three minutes before Gannon took an 18-14 lead with 8:15 left in the half. Cal U scored eight of the next 10 points on three-of-five shooting to take a 22-20 advantage at the 5:07-mark. The Golden Knights quickly tied the game at 22-22 before the Vulcans went on a 7-2 run to stretch the lead to 29-24. Cal U scored eight-straight points to close the first half, including a pair of threes from freshman
Tim Smith, Jr. (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood) to take a 37-27 advantage at the break.
Both teams exchanged points over the initial six minutes of the second half before the Vulcans built the lead to 50-37 with 12:42 left. Gannon answered with six-consecutive points to close the gap to 50-43 with just over 10 minutes remaining before Cal U extended the lead back to double-digits on a three-pointer from Hall. The Vulcans established a 61-48 lead with 5:16 remaining after a trey by Pegram before a two-plus minute scoring drought. Cal U sealed the victory at the free-throw line, converting 9-of-11 shots to earn a 74-58 win.
Cal U finished the game shooting 43.4 percent (23-of-53) from the floor while making 21-of-29 (72.4 percent) from free-throw line. In comparison, Gannon shot 33.3 percent (19-of-57) from the field and made just 2-of-18 (11.1 percent) from beyond the arc. The Vulcans finished with a 41-38 rebounding advantage and scored 14 points off turnovers, while the Golden Knights scored 24 points in the paint.
Senior DeAnte Cisero recorded 17 points (12 first half) on 6-of-13 attempts and added five rebounds and one block in 36 minutes. Junior Frank Webb, Jr. tallied 12 points on 10-of-12 from the free-throw line, plus nine rebounds, two assists and three steals in 33 minutes. Senior Matt Johnson and sophomore Victor Olawoye both finished with nine points.
The Vulcans continue play in the PSAC Tournament on Wednesday when they travel to face IUP at 7:30 p.m. The Crimson Hawks swept the regular-season series against the Vulcans this year.
