INDIANA, Pa. (March 4) – The Vulcans were eliminated from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament after suffering an 80-63 loss at top-seeded IUP in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night.
 
With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team closes the year with a 19-11 overall record, which is the most wins for the program since the 2007-08 campaign. The Vulcans also returned to the conference quarterfinals for the first time since 2011-12 season after missing the post-season in five-straight years. Meanwhile, IUP improves to 26-2 this season and advances to face East Stroudsburg in the semifinals of the PSAC Tournament on Saturday, March 7.
 
Junior Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) totaled 20 points on 5-of-18 from the field and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. He also added six rebounds, three assists and two steals while playing all 40 minutes against the Crimson Hawks. Pegram finished with 601 total points this season to rank seventh on the school's single-season scoring list and completes the year averaging 20.0 points per game behind 13 20-point performances.
 
Freshman Babatunde Ajike (Cherry Hill, N.J./Camden Catholic) registered 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting with eight rebounds in 33 minutes after making his first start since Nov. 24. Fellow freshman Luke House (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop John Carroll) posted nine points, three rebounds and two assists while playing all 40 minutes. Sophomore Jermaine Hall, Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) recorded eight points and 10 rebounds in 33 minutes, while classmate Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) notched seven points, five rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes after battling foul trouble.
 
The Vulcans held an early 11-9 advantage in the opening five-plus minutes after five different players scored. IUP responded with an 18-0 run over nearly six minutes and knocked down 8-of-10 from the floor before Cal U halted the scoreless drought with a layup from Pegram, 27-13. The Vulcans would score seven of the next nine points to trim the deficit to 29-20 with 5:25 left in the first half. Both teams traded points over the next two-plus minutes, as the Crimson Hawks held a 35-24 lead before neither team scored in the final 2:09 of the half.
 
In the second half, Cal U scored seven of 10 points to cut the deficit to 40-31 with 17:49 remaining in the contest. IUP answered with an 11-2 run after making six-of-seven from the free-throw line to stretch the lead to 51-33. Both teams exchanged points over the next two minutes before the Vulcans recorded eight-unanswered points to close the gap to 58-46 with 9:28 left. The Crimson Hawks then converted five-of-seven from the field, including four treys, to take a 75-54 advantage with just four minutes left. Cal U tallied nine of the final 14 points of the contest, but would fall by an 80-63 margin on the road.
 
The Vulcans finished the game with a .329 field-goal percentage (23-of-70) and made just 6-of-31 (19.4 percent) from long range. Meanwhile, the Crimson Hawks shot 50.0 percent (27-of-54) from the floor and converted 11-of-26 (42.3 percent) from three-point territory. Cal U finished with a 41-34 rebounding advantage and totaled 32 points in the paint, while IUP scored 19 points off turnovers.
 
Redshirt sophomore Armoni Foster finished with a game-high 33 points on 12-of-17 attempts, including five-of-six from long range. He also totaled six rebounds and three assists in 38 minutes in the win. Senior Malik Miller posted 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting with five three-pointers, plus three rebounds, three assists and three steals in 35 minutes. Senior Chucky Humphries grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and added five points, two assists, three steals and one block in 30 minutes.