CALIFORNIA (Jan. 25) – Behind balanced scoring with five players in double-digits, the Vulcans claimed an 87-73 victory against Mansfield in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action on Wednesday night in the Convocation Center.

With the win, the California (PA) men's basketball team improves to 9-10 overall with a 6-7 mark in league play as Cal concludes league crossover play this season. Meanwhile, the Mountaineers fall to 5-12 this year behind a 4-9 record in conference action.

Freshman KJ McClurg (Morgantown, W.Va./University) registered a game-high 19 points as he shot five-of-nine from the field, including a pair of three-pointers, and converted seven-of-nine at the charity stripe. Additionally, the West Virginia native tallied nine rebounds and a season-best four steals. In his first season with the program, McClurg is averaging 12.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game with a .474 shooting percentage.

Redshirt junior Jermaine Hall, Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) scored 18 points and collected12 rebounds, marking his third double-double of the year. Redshirt freshman Donald Whitehead, Jr. (Hermitage, Pa./Hickory) notched 17 points, while sophomore Cam Polak (Homestead, Pa./Steel Valley) posted 15 points on Wednesday. Sophomore Keith Palek III (Woodbine, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) added 12 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds.

The Vulcans mounted an 11-2 advantage following a three-pointer by Palek off an assist from McClurg at the 17:42-mark. The Mountaineers cut the deficit to 18-14 after executing a 12-7 run with 11:36 to play in the first half. Cal claimed its first double-digit lead following a 10-3 rally that started with a long-range connection from Palek and ended with a tip-in from sophomore Kadyn Hannah (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) as it led by a 28-17 margin. The Vulcans went on to score 11 of the next 18 points to stretch their lead to 39-24 at the 4:38-mark before Mansfield ended the half on a 9-3 run to trim the deficit to single digits at the break, 42-33.

Cal regained a double-digit advantage after it started the second half, however, the Mountaineers countered to tie the game at 52-52 as they limited the Vulcans to two points over four minutes. A three-pointer from Whitehead gave Cal another double figure edge with 8:53 remaining in the game to lead by 66-56. Following a 12-5 rally that was capped off by a layup from Gabe Perez, Mansfield made it a one-possession game as it trailed 71-68 at the 5:21-mark. The Vulcans then scored 12-unanswered points to take a 15-point advantage, 83-68, with 1:17 to play.

Cal shot 43.8 percent (28-of-64) from the field while hitting on 10-of-26 attempts (38.5 percent) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Mountaineers recorded a .483 field-goal percentage (29-of-60) behind 7-of-21 (33.3 percent) from three-point territory. The Vulcans held a 37-34 edge on the glass and collected 14 assists in the win.

Scott Woodring led Mansfield with 15 points in addition to seven rebounds. Idris Ali tallied 14 points, five rebounds and three assists. Perez finished the game with 14 points, three rebounds and two assists, while Saraj Ali scored 13 points plus collected seven rebounds, two blocks and two assists.

The Vulcans are back in action on Saturday, Jan. 28, as they host Pitt-Johnstown in PSAC West play at 3 p.m.