CALIFORNIA (Nov. 23) – Missing three starters due to injuries, the No. 4 California (PA) men's basketball team dropped a 66-61 contest against Shepherd in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action at the Convocation Center on Saturday night.
NOTES
• The Vulcans (6-1, 1-1) finished the game with a season low in points, nearly 34 points below its season average.
• Junior
Donald Whitehead, Jr. led the team with 22 points on 8-of-21 shooting, including 5-of-13 from beyond the arc.
• He also added three rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal in 36 minutes.
• Whitehead has already scored at least 20 points five times this year after accomplishing the feat twice in 48 career games.
• Senior
Kadyn Hannah registered a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds (three offensive).
• Redshirt junior
Cam Polak totaled 10 points and four assists against the Rams.
• Sophomore
Dalman Alexander finished with six points and nine rebounds (five offensive) in his first career start.
• The Vulcans held a 26-22 lead at halftime after allowing the Rams to make just seven field goals.
• Cal built a 10-point lead in the opening minutes of the second half before making just 3 of 18 shots to allow Shepherd to claim a 57-47 lead with 3:38 left to play.
• The Vulcans then mounted a 13-5 run to cut the deficit to 62-60 with 54 seconds remaining.
• Shepherd converted a pair of free-throws before Cal missed two three-pointers on the next possession.
• The Vulcans closed the game shooting at just a 30.9 clip (21-of-68) – its fifth-lowest percentage in the last nine years.
• Cal committed only six turnovers in the losing effort.
NEXT
• Cal returns to action on Tuesday, Nov. 26, when it travels to face No. 20 Daemen in Amherst, New York, at 5 p.m.
• Last year, the Wildcats advanced to the finals of the East Coast Conference (ECC) Tournament and made the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history.
• Daemen earned a 67-61 win over neighboring NCAA Division I Buffalo last month.
