INDIANA, Pa. (March 15) – The third-seeded Vulcans held a one-point lead with less than four minutes left on Tuesday night before suffering a 68-59 loss to top-seeded and host IUP in the Atlantic Regional Championship at the Kovalchick Convention & Athletic Complex.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team finishes the season with a 23-10 overall record after advancing to the regional championship in its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2008. Meanwhile, the No. 3 Crimson Hawks improve to 32-2 this season and claim their third regional championship since 2010. IUP advances to the Elite Eight next week in Evansville, Indiana, and the remaining field will be reseeded following all regional title games.

Senior Brent Pegram (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) led the team with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting and added four assists and three steals. He became the first Cal U player since Candice Pickens (1992-96) to collect 400 assists in a career. A three-year starter, Pegram also closed his career ranked seventh in school history with 1,656 points while averaging 18.6 points per game.

Sophomore Philip Alston (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville North) recorded his Atlantic Region-leading 21st double-double on Tuesday. He finished the game with 10 points, 11 rebounds (four offensive) and two blocks before fouling out with 1:30 left to play. Alston closed his stellar campaign with the third-most points (692) in single-season school history while averaging 21.0 points per game, the most since 1993.

Senior Preston Boswell (New Martinsville, W.Va./Magnolia) posted 11 points, four rebounds and three assists while playing in his second career regional final. Junior Zyan Collins (South Riding, Va./Freedom) tallied 11 points and seven rebounds (four offensive), while freshman Keith Palek III (Woodbine, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) registered 10 points, five rebounds and two steals in the loss.

Cal U held a 54-53 lead with 3:40 remaining before IUP sophomore Ethan Porterfield scored on an aerobatic contested layup. Porterfield, the Atlantic Regional Tournament MVP, then hit a pivotal three-pointer from the corner at the 1:47-mark to give the Crimson Hawks a 58-54 lead. Alston fouled out on the ensuing possession before IUP sealed the victory by converting a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line in the final 90 seconds.

The game was scoreless for the opening 90 seconds before a layup by Alston at the 18:14-mark. IUP then made the next two baskets to hold a 4-2 lead at the initial media timeout. The Vulcans answered with a pair of dunks by Alston to take a 6-5 lead with 13:45 left in the first half. IUP answered with a layup on the next possession before Cal U scored seven of the next nine points to take a 13-9 lead on a three-pointer by Boswell with 10:39 remaining before the break. The Crimson Hawks countered with a 7-2 run to claim a 16-15 lead at the 7:10-mark. Cal U snapped a nearly three-minute stretch without a field goal on a fastbreak layup by Boswell with 5:46 left before halftime. The Vulcans later took a 25-22 lead with 1:51 remaining on a pair of free-throws by Collins before the Crimson Hawks scored the final five points of the half to take a 27-25 lead at the break.

IUP scored the opening basket of the second half before Cal U posted an 8-4 run to tie the score at 33-33 on a three-point play by Alston with 17:59 left to play. The Crimson Hawks then countered with a 9-3 rally before the Vulcans made a pair of three-pointers to tie the score at 42-42 with 12:03 left to play. Cal U later scored six of eight points to hold a 48-47 lead at the 8:05-mark before IUP reclaimed the lead on free-throws nearly 30 seconds later. The Vulcans scored six of the next 10 points and took the lead for the final time with 3:40 left to play.

The Vulcans were held to a season low in points while shooting just 32.8 percent (19-of-58) from the floor. Cal U also converted 15-of-23 (65.2 percent) from the free-throw line in the loss. Meanwhile, the Crimson Hawks made over 65 percent in the second half and finished with a .488 field-goal percentage (21-of-43). IUP shot 21-of-25 (84.0 percent) from the charity stripe on Tuesday. The Crimson Hawks held a 37-31 rebounding advantage despite the Vulcans collecting 13 offensive rebounds. Cal U also forced 23 turnovers in the contest.

Junior Armoni Foster, the PSAC West Athlete of the Year, scored a game-high 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting and recorded just one assist compared to nine turnovers. Porterfield finished with 16 points on 6-of-10 from the floor and five rebounds, while junior Dave Morris tallied 12 points and seven rebounds.

The Vulcans were making their seventh all-time appearance in the regional finals.

Notes: Cal U holds a 3-4 record in regional championship games, including a 1-3 mark against IUP … Four of the 10 losses for the Vulcans this season were against the Crimson Hawks … Cal U played nine games against nationally-ranked opponents this season (4-5) … Alston was the only player in the Atlantic Region to average a double-double this year, finishing with 21.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game … The Vulcans hold a 15-14 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament … Sancomb has posted a 4-4 record in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach, advancing to the Atlantic Regional Championship twice since 2017