CALIFORNIA (March 1) – After a first-round victory in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament earlier this week, the fourth-seeded California (PA) men's basketball team will travel to face top-seeded and No. 3 IUP in the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex tonight, Wednesday, March 1, at 7 p.m.

TICKETS
IUP will be selling tickets for the PSAC Tournament at the cost of $10 for adults, $5 for students (K-12th grade) and free admission for Pre-K children and PSAC students with valid ID.

LIVE COVERAGE
The IUP Sports Information Office will provide live statistics for the game. Live updates will also be available throughout the game on Twitter via @calvulcans. There also will be live audio via WQMU on 92.5 FM, as well as live video on the PSAC Digital Network, of the post-season contest.

STORYLINES
• Last Time Out: Cal posted an 84-69 win over Seton Hill in the first round of the PSAC Tournament on Monday, as sophomores Keith Palek III and Cam Polak combined for 50 points behind 10 three-pointers.
• The Vulcans have advanced to the quarterfinals for the third-straight season and will once again face the Crimson Hawks, as they did in both the 2020 and 2022 PSAC Tournaments.
• The winner of the contest will travel to face the winner of West Chester-East Stroudsburg in the semifinals of the league tournament on Saturday, March 4, at the highest remaining seed from the PSAC East.

PSAC TOURNAMENT
• Cal is the fourth seed in the PSAC Tournament and will travel to top-seeded IUP, while second-seeded Mercyhurst will host third-seeded Pitt-Johnstown.
• In the PSAC East, Shippensburg earned the top seed and will host fifth-seeded Lock Haven and third-seeded East Stroudsburg travels to face second-seeded West Chester.
• The final four teams remaining will travel to the highest remaining seed in the PSAC East for the semifinals and the championship on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

SCOUTING THE VULCANS
• Fifth-year head coach Danny Sancomb holds a 3-2 record in the PSAC Tournament and led the Vulcans to the finals of the 2022 NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament.
• The Cal starting lineup features four players that average double figures in points per game, plus a sixth-man averaging 12.9 points per game. Redshirt junior Jermaine Hall, Jr. has scored in double-digits in all but three games this season while recording six double-doubles. Hall ranks second on the team and 11th in the conference in scoring at 16.3 points per game.
• The Vulcans rank fourth in the PSAC with 14.9 assists per contest and hold a 1.19 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is fifth-best in the league.

SCOUTING THE CRIMSON HAWKS
• In 16 seasons as head coach, Joe Lombardi has led IUP to a 395-107 overall record behind four 30-win seasons. The Crimson Hawks have won six PSAC Championships under Lombardi, including three-straight, while also making 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
• IUP leads the PSAC and ranks fifth in the country in scoring defense at 59.5 points per game, plus lead NCAA Division II in opponent's field-goal percentage at a 38.2 clip.
• The Crimson Hawks feature the PSAC's leading scorer in senior Shawndale Jones at 20.3 points per game. He also sits second in the league with an .864 free-throw percentage and averages 3.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

SERIES
• IUP is currently on a 20-game winning streak against Cal with the last win for the Vulcans coming in the 2013-14 season at the KCAC.
• The two programs will be meeting in the conference quarterfinals for the third-consecutive year.
• The Vulcans will be looking for their first win over the Crimson Hawks in the conference tournament since the 1995-96 season when they later advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.