EDINBORO, Pa. (Feb. 4) – Behind a trio of players combining for nearly 80 points, the California (PA) men's basketball team earned a 106-97 win at Edinboro in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play on Saturday afternoon.
With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 10-12 this season with a 7-9 record in league action. Cal extended its winning streak in the series with Edinboro to six games while also scoring 100 points for the second time this year. Meanwhile, the Fighting Scots drop to 5-16 overall behind a 3-13 mark in conference contests.
Redshirt junior
Jermaine Hall, Jr. (Baltimore, Md./Severn School) recorded a career-high 27 points while shooting 9-of-14 from the field, including four-of-seven from beyond the arc, and five-of-six from the free-throw line. He also tied his career best of 14 rebounds and added four assists and one steal. The Baltimore native ranks fifth in the PSAC with a career-high 17.1 points per game behind six games of at least 20 points.
Sophomore
Keith Palek III (Woodbine, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) registered 28 points while shooting 8-of-15 from the floor and went 10-of-11 from the charity stripe on Saturday. He collected 10 rebounds in the win for his sixth double-double of the year. Palek also recorded four assists and one steal while playing all 40 minutes. Freshman
KJ McClurg (Morgantown, W.Va./University) notched 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting along with two rebounds, two assists and two steals. Redshirt freshman
Donald Whitehead, Jr. (Hermitage, Pa./Hickory) posted 17 points, three rebounds and four assists, while sophomore
Cam Polak (West Homestead, Pa./Steel Valley) added 10 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Edinboro raced out to an early 7-0 advantage after Kierell Green connected on a long-range attempt. Cal answered with a 15-10 run as it trailed 17-15 at the 12:51-mark. A dunk by Dominique Keyes ignited a 10-3 rally by the Fighting Scots to extend their lead by 27-18 margin. The Vulcans went on to score 12 of the next 14 points to claim their first lead of the game after a three-pointer from Whitehead gave them a 30-29 advantage with 8:17 remaining in the half. The teams split the following 18 points as Cal held a slight 39-38 edge. Hall connected on a shot from beyond the arc at the 4:05-mark that started a 15-8 rally and gave the Vulcans a 54-46 lead at the break.
Edinboro gained momentum as it conducted a 16-11 run to trim the deficit to 65-52 in the beginning of the second half. The Vulcans countered with a 10-3 rally and a layup from Palek gave Cal a double-digit lead at the 10:43-mark. The teams traded the following 18 points as the Vulcans maintained their double-figure advantage with six-plus minutes left. Cal stretched its lead to 95-80 after a long-range connection by Palek with three and a half minutes to play. The Fighting Scots trimmed the deficit to 99-89 before orchestrating an 8-4 rally to trail 103-97 in the closing seconds.
The Vulcans shot 47.6 percent (30-of-63) from the field and connected on 13-of-28 (46.4 percent) of their three-point attempts. Meanwhile, Edinboro recorded a .443 field-goal percentage (31-of-70) and went 7-for-23 (30.4 percent) from long range. The Fighting Scots held a 43-35 edge on the glass and collected 15 assists.
Keyes finished the game with 24 points and 11 rebounds while Green tallied 24 points, a career-high 19 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Naim Miller posted 15 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal. Jack Gallagher recorded 13 points, five assists and four rebounds in the loss.
Cal returns to action on Monday, Feb. 6, as it hosts Slippery Rock in PSAC West play at 7:30 p.m.
