SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. (Feb. 7) – The California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team overcame a four-minute scoreless drought late in the second half to score seven points in the final 90 seconds to earn a 64-61 win at Shepherd in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action on Monday night.
With the win, the Vulcans improve to 15-5 overall behind a 10-4 mark in conference play. Cal U has now posted double-digit victories in league action for the first time in nearly a decade. Meanwhile, the Rams fall to 9-12 this season with a 6-10 record in PSAC play.
Senior
Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) led the team with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including four-of-nine from long range. He also added five rebounds, two assists and three steals while playing all 40 minutes on Monday. Pegram also surpassed Ishmieal Kamara (1999-03) for No. 11 on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,423 points.
Sophomore
Philip Alston (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville North) registered a double-double in the victory with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman
Keith Palek III (Woodbine, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, while junior
Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) collected 10 points, four rebounds, six assists and two steals in the win.
The Vulcans took a 57-53 lead on a three-pointer by Palek with 5:39 left to play. Both teams were held scoreless for three minutes before Shepherd converted a pair of three-pointers to claim the lead at 59-57 at the 1:32-mark. Following a timeout, Pegram converted a go-ahead trey on the ensuing possession as Cal U reclaimed the lead before Alston scored on a dunk with 35 seconds remaining, 62-59. The Rams made two of three free-throws before Palek sealed the victory with 10 seconds left on a pair of free-throws.
Shepherd opened the game on a 7-4 run before Cal U answered with a 9-5 rally to take a 13-12 lead on a three-pointer by Collins at the 13:28-mark. The Rams responded with 11-unanswered points to take a 23-13 lead before Pegram scored eight-straight points to trim the deficit to 23-21 lead with 8:20 left in the first half. The Vulcans later posted a 9-4 run to cut the deficit to 31-30 on a layup by Palek before trailing by a 33-30 margin at the break.
The Rams extended the lead to 39-33 in the initial minutes of the second half before the Vulcans mounted a 10-2 run to take a 43-41 lead on a three-pointer by Collins with 13:46 remaining. The teams traded four three-pointers midway through the second half with Cal U holding a 53-49 lead at the 9:01-mark. The Rams later cut the deficit to 55-53 before a trey by Palek with 5:39 left to play.
The Vulcans finished the game shooting 43.6 percent (24-of-55) from the floor. Meanwhile, Shepherd made 41.5 percent (22-of-53) from the field, including 10-of-30 (33.3 percent) from three-point territory. Cal U held a 35-30 rebounding advantage and collected 15 assists in the win.
Shepherd senior Kyle Daggett scored a game-high 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-10 from beyond the arc. He also tallied eight rebounds and four assists while playing all 40 minutes. Classmate Cam Stephens added 14 points, three rebounds and six assists, while junior Jon Preston registered four rebounds, three assists and four steals in the loss.
Cal U returns to PSAC West play on Wednesday, Feb. 9, when it travels to face league-leading IUP at 7:30 p.m.
