CALIFORNIA (Jan. 6) – The No. 9 California (PA) men's basketball team registered the second-best field-goal percentage in NCAA Division II this season while tallying a 99-84 win over No. 17 Gannon at the Convocation Center to open Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action on Saturday afternoon.
RECORDS/SERIES
• The Vulcans improve to 12-1 this season behind a 6-1 record in league play.
• The Golden Knights fall to 11-2 overall with a 5-2 mark under first-year head coach Jordan Fee.
• Cal has won five of the last six meetings in the series with Gannon.
• The contest on Saturday marked the first meeting of nationally-ranked men's teams in the history of the Convocation Center.
STATS
• Sophomore KJ McClurg scored 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting and seven-of-eight from three throw line.
• He also collected six assists while playing 40 minutes on Saturday.
• McClurg has registered four 30-point games this season while leading the PSAC with 23.1 points per game.
• Redshirt senior Zyan Collins finished with 21 points, four rebounds and eight assists in the victory.
• He also surpassed Kenny Toomer (1990-92) for No. 10 all-time in school history with 1,500 points.
• Redshirt sophomore Bryson Lucas totaled 18 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals while playing a career-high 33 minutes.
• Senior Jermaine Hall, Jr. added 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists versus the Golden Knights.
GAME ACTION
• Gannon raced out to a 12-4 lead in the opening four minutes of the game.
• The Vulcans mounted a 19-5 run over seven minutes midway through the first half to take a 42-27 lead at the 4:24-mark.
• Cal made six-straight shots during the rally with McClurg and Collins combining for 16 points.
• The Vulcans led by as many as 18 points in the first half before taking a 54-38 lead at the break.
• Cal stretched its lead to as many as 24 points, 72-48, with 12:09 left in the second half.
• The Vulcans maintained a 20-point lead for the majority of the next eight minutes.
• Gannon posted an 11-5 run over the last four-plus minutes to work the deficit to 15 points, 99-84.
• Cal made an astounding 70.6 percent (36-of-51) from the floor, becoming only the second team in NCAA Division II to shoot over a 70.0 clip this year.
• The Vulcans are the first PSAC team to make at least 70 percent from the field in game since the 2018-19 season.
• Gannon sophomore Josh Omojafo finished with 30 points (23 second half) on 9-of-16 from the floor and 12-of-15 from the free-throw line.
• The Golden Knights entered as the leading scoring offense in the country at 112.8 points per game and was held to its second-lowing point total of the year.
NEXT
• The Vulcans conclude their homestand on Wednesday, Jan. 10, when they face Seton Hill in PSAC West play at 7:30 p.m.
