WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. (Nov. 12) – Facing one of the top programs in the country, the California (PA) men's basketball team suffered a 94-85 loss at No. 8 West Liberty in non-conference action during the final day of the Mountain East Conference (MEC)/Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tip-Off Challenge on Saturday night.
With the loss, the Vulcans move to 1-1 overall. Meanwhile, the defending-MEC Champion Hilltoppers, which were tabbed as the preseason favorites in the MEC poll, improve to 2-0 this year.
Sophomore
Keith Palek III (Woodbine, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) paced the team with a career-high 22 points, marking back-to-back 20-point performances to open the season. He also tallied six rebounds, one steal and one assist. Freshman transfer
KJ McClurg (Morgantown, W.Va./University) registered 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and connected on three shots from beyond the arc. Additionally, McClurg notched seven boards and five assists. Redshirt junior
Jermaine Hall, Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds with a pair of steals. Sophomore transfer
Cam Polak (West Homestead, Pa./Steel Valley) collected 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
West Liberty extended its lead to 10-5 after a layup from Alek West at the 15:02-mark. Cal eventually tied the game at 12-12 following a 7-2 run that was ignited by a layup from Polak and completed by a layup from McClurg. The Hilltoppers and Vulcans traded the next two baskets until West Liberty executed a 15-0 run to grasp a 30-14 advantage at the 8:09-mark. With 5:37 left, Cal cut the deficit to 34-22 following a layup from Palek. The Hilltoppers maintained its double-digit lead for the remainder of the first half, as they held a 47-31 lead at the break.
The beginning of the second half went back and forth, as both teams split the initial 16 points with West Liberty ahead by a 55-39 margin. As the half progressed, the Hilltoppers kept their 16-point advantage as they led 66-50 at the 12:35-mark. The Vulcans trimmed the West Liberty lead to single-digits following an 8-0 run that started with a layup from Hall. The Hilltoppers stretched its lead to 72-60 after converting a pair of free-throw attempts. At the 7:50-mark, Palek connected on a shot from long distance that started a 13-3 run for Cal as it pulled within three points, 78-75. McClurg laced a step-back three-pointer at the 3:37-mark make it a one possession game, however, West Liberty countered with an 8-3 run to lead by an 88-81 margin with less than two minutes to play.
Cal concluded the game with a .439 field-goal percentage (29-of-66) while hitting on 43.5 percent (10-of-23) from long range. Meanwhile, West Liberty shot 48.6 percent (35-of-72) from the field and went 27.6 percent (8-of-29) from behind the arc.
The Vulcans return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 15, as they host Lincoln (Pa.) at the Convocation Center in non-league play at 6 p.m.
