CALIFORNIA (Jan. 24) – The California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team featured balanced scoring on Monday night, as all five starters scored in double-digits while posting an 80-59 win over Gannon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action at the Convocation Center.
With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 12-4 overall and extend their winning streak to four games. Cal U also sits fourth in the divisional standings (by wins) with a 7-3 mark in league play. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights fall to 8-5 this season behind a 5-4 record in conference action.
Sophomore
Philip Alston (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville North) posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds on Monday. He shot 7-of-14 from the floor while playing only 30 minutes due to foul trouble. Alston is the lone player in the PSAC averaging a double-double this year with 21.9 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, both of which lead the league.
Senior
Preston Boswell (New Martinsville, W.Va./Magnolia) tallied 16 points, four rebounds and tied his season high with six assists in the victory. Freshman
Keith Palek III (Woodbine, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) finished with 12 points, six rebounds and two assists while playing 22 minutes. Junior
Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) posted 12 points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals against the Golden Knights, while senior
Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) totaled 12 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals on Monday.
Cal U posted a pair of 7-3 runs early in the first half and held a 14-12 lead at the 15:26-mark. Following a three-pointer by the Golden Knights, the Vulcans mounted an 18-2 rally over nearly three minutes to build a 32-17 lead with 8:51 left before halftime. Alston and Boswell both scored seven points during the run when Gannon converted just one-of-nine from the floor. Gannon made a basket at the 7:34-mark before Cal U scored 13-unanswered points to stretch the lead to 45-19 on a pair of free-throws by Alston with 54 seconds left. The Vulcans eventually took a 45-23 lead at the break after holding the Golden Knights to a .286 field goal percentage (8-of-28).
The Vulcans mounted a 10-2 run in the opening minute of the second half to take a 57-29 lead on a layup by Pegram with 15:28 left to play. Cal U later stretched the lead to as many as 31 points, 63-32, on a basket by Pegram at the 12:17-mark. The Golden Knights countered with a 14-3 run to trim the deficit to 66-46 with 9:06 remaining. Gannon later managed to work the deficit down to 18 points before Cal U secured its first home win in the regular season against the Golden Knights since the 2015-16 season.
Cal U finished the game shooting 50.0 percent (31-of-62) from the field and converted a 70.6 clip (12-of-17) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Gannon made 38.6 percent (22-of-57) from the floor despite going 4-of-19 (21.1 percent) from beyond the arc. The Vulcans held a 42-30 rebounding advantage and scored 20 points off turnovers.
Gannon sophomore Lance-Amir Paul scored a game-high 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting. He also paced the team with eight rebounds in the contest. Graduate student Alonde Legrand added 13 points in the loss, while sophomore Demetrius Mims finished with six points, four rebounds and three steals.
The Vulcans continue PSAC West play on Wednesday, Jan. 26, when they host Seton Hill at 7:30 p.m.
