ERIE, Pa. (March 9) – The No. 8 Vulcans battled to an 81-78 victory over Lock Haven on Saturday afternoon in the semifinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament hosted by Gannon at the Hagerty Family Events Center.

With the win, the California (PA) men's basketball team improves to 27-3 overall while extending its winning streak to nine games. The Vulcans advance to the PSAC Championship tomorrow, Sunday, March 10, and will face No. 3 Gannon at 3 p.m. Meanwhile, the Bald Eagles fall to 21-8 this season after earning the top seed from the PSAC East.

Senior Jermaine Hall, Jr. scored a game-high 23 points (18 second half) on 7-of-14 shooting, including five-of-nine from long range, on Saturday. He also registered his third double-double in the last four games, as he finished with 12 rebounds while playing 37 minutes. In addition, Hall climbed to No. 14 all-time in school history in scoring with 1,322 points.

Sophomore KJ McClurg finished with 19 points behind 5-of-10 from the floor and eight-of-eight from the free-throw line. He has now scored 677 points this year to rank fifth in single-season school history. McClurg also collected five rebounds while playing all 40 minutes on Saturday. Redshirt senior Zyan Collins totaled 10 points, five rebounds and five assists, while redshirt freshman Antoine Arnett added eight points and four rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench.

Junior Keith Palek III posted nine points, four rebounds and two assists against the Bald Eagles. Additionally, he became the 37th player in school history, and fourth on the active roster, to reach 1,000 career points.

The Bald Eagles raced out to a 9-0 lead at the 17:26-mark after making four of its initial six shots. Cal was held scoreless until 16:48 left in the first half after Lock Haven standout Justice Shoats – the PSAC East Athlete of the Year – was forced to bench with two early fouls. The Bald Eagles held a 14-6 lead at the 14:16-mark when redshirt sophomore Bryson Lucas was whistled for his second foul. Cal cut the deficit to an 18-17 margin on a three-pointer by Palek with 10:41 remaining before the break. Lock Haven then scored back-to-back baskets before the Vulcans took their initial lead of the game, 27-25, at the 8:40-mark with a 10-3 run, capped by a four-point play by McClurg. Cal later mounted a 10-2 rally to stretch the lead to a 37-32 margin on a fastbreak layup by sophomore Donald Whitehead, Jr. with 3:57 left in the first half. The Vulcans held a 43-38 lead at the break after shooting over 50 percent from the floor.

Lock Haven started the second half on a 7-2 run to tie the score at 45-45 before Hall made a three-pointer with 15:26 remaining. The Vulcans held a 51-47 lead before Shoats was again forced to the bench with four fouls at the 13:31-mark. Lock Haven scored five-straight points to reclaim the lead before Cal made back-to-back baskets in 34 seconds to take a 55-52 lead with 11:21 left to play. The score remained within a single possession for five-plus minutes before the Vulcans mounted a 9-2 run to take a 73-68 advantage on another trey by Hall with 3:31 remaining. Cal later stretched the lead to 77-71 before Lock Haven countered with a 7-2 rally to cut the deficit to 79-78 with 17.7 seconds left in regulation. McClurg converted a pair of free-throws three seconds later to give the Vulcans an 81-78 lead. The Bald Eagles attempted a potential game-tying three-pointer in the closing seconds that was blocked by Hall and collected by Lucas right before the buzzer to seal the victory.

The Vulcans finished the game shooting 39.7 percent (27-of-68) from the floor after being held to a 29.7 clip (11-of-37) in the second half. Lock Haven posted a .435 field-goal percentage (30-of-69) in the losing effort. Cal held a 46-39 rebounding advantage behind 15 offensive rebounds that led to 17 second-chance points. The Vulcans also finished with 27 fastbreak points in the victory.

Senior Jalen Gorham and graduate student Dyson Harward both led the Bald Eagles with 17 points and combined for 17 rebounds on Saturday. Shoats finished with 14 points while playing just 21 minutes due to foul trouble.

The Vulcans will be playing in their first PSAC Championship since 2008 tomorrow in Erie, Pennsylvania. Cal and Gannon split the regular-season series with the home team winning each time. The Golden Knights advanced to the title game after rolling to a 98-64 win over Millersville on Saturday.