CALIFORNIA (Feb. 23) – Led by a career-high 38 points by sophomore Philip Alston (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville North), the Vulcans mounted a late rally in the second half on Wednesday night to post a 79-76 win over No. 17 Mercyhurst in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play on Senior Day at the Convocation Center.

With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team improves to 20-7 this season behind a 15-6 record in conference action. The Vulcans, which reached the 20-win mark for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign, sit fourth in the divisional standings yet are one-game back for second place with one game left in the regular season. Additionally, Cal U swept the regular-season series with Mercyhurst for the first time since the Lakers joined the league 14 years ago. Meanwhile, the Lakers fall to 22-5 overall with a 16-5 mark in league play.

Alston set a career high with 38 points while shooting 14-of-25 from the floor and 8-of-12 from the free-throw line. He also collected 10 rebounds (five offensive) for his 15th double-double of the season. Alston has scored a combined 68 points in two games against the Lakers this year behind 27-of-40 (67.5 percent) from the field and 12-of-16 (75.0 percent) from the charity stripe.

Senior Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) scored 21 points after converting 8-of-13 from the field and five-of-eight from the free-throw line. He also collected five assists and two steals in the victory. Freshman Keith Palek III (Woodbine, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) registered his fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds, plus added three assists and two blocks, on Wednesday. Junior Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) tallied seven rebounds while being limited to five points due to foul trouble.

The Vulcans trailed by a 69-63 margin before Pegram made a pair of baskets in just over 20 seconds to cut the deficit to 69-67 at the 7:21-mark. Mercyhurst made three free-throws over its next two possessions to hold a 72-63 lead before a dunk by Alston sparked a late rally by Cal U. The Lakers made a layup with 5:53 remaining before being held scoreless for nearly the remainder of the game. Cal U scored nine-unanswered points after going 7-of-10 from the charity stripe to seize a 78-74 lead with 11 seconds left. Mercyhurst missed a pair of three pointers in the final 20 seconds before converting a pair of free-throws in the final seconds.

Mercyhurst made a pair of three-pointers in just over 30 seconds early in the first half to hold an 8-5 lead before Cal U scored eight-straight points to take a 13-8 lead with 14:26 left. The Lakers countered with a 17-4 run behind 7-of-10 shooting to claim a 25-17 lead at the 9:14-mark. Cal U later mounted a 16-2 rally after making seven-consecutive shots to claim a 37-31 lead with 2:52 remaining before halftime. The Vulcans later scored six of eight points before taking a 43-39 lead at the break.

The Lakers posted an 8-3 run in the opening minutes of the second half to cut the deficit to 48-47 at the 17:38-mark. Cal U answered with a 7-3 rally to take a 55-50 lead on a layup by Alston with 15:29 left to play before Mercyhurst reclaimed the lead by a 59-57 margin behind a trio of three-pointers with 13:49 remaining. Alston followed with back-to-back dunks before the Lakers mounted a 10-2 run to stretch the lead to 69-63 at the 7:54-mark.

Cal U finished the game shooting 50.9 percent (28-of-55) from the floor and converted 20-of-29 from the free-throw line (69.0 percent). Meanwhile, Mercyhurst shot at 40.6 clip (26-of-64) from the field behind 13-of-36 (36.1 percent) from long range. Both teams finished with 36 rebounds, while the Vulcans scored 17 points off turnovers in the victory.

Mercyhurst senior Steve Cannady scored a career-high 29 points after shooting 10-of-18 from the floor, including 6-of-11 from beyond the arc. Classmate Miykah McIntosh finished with 15 points and six assists in the loss, while freshman Pipeloluwa Ajayi added 12 points and four rebounds off the bench.

The Vulcans close out the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 26, when they travel to face Gannon in Erie, Pennsylvania, at 3 p.m.