INDIANA, Pa. (Feb. 27) – The California (PA) men's basketball team held a three-possession lead with five minutes left to play before dropping an 84-76 contest at IUP in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action on Wednesday night.
NOTES
• The Vulcans (16-11, 11-8) suffered their first loss since Jan. 25, snapping a six-game winning streak.
• Cal remains tied for second in the PSAC West standings entering the final weekend of the regular season after Edinboro also lost on Wednesday.
• Freshman
Jordyn Buchanan scored a season-high 24 points on 8-of-14 from the floor, including three-of-seven from long range.
• He added four rebounds and four steals while playing 35 minutes on Wednesday.
• Sophomore
Dalman Alexander registered a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds (four offensive), plus added four blocks, in the losing effort.
• Redshirt junior
Cam Polak tallied 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting, his 10th 20-point performance in divisional play this year.
• Junior
Donald Whitehead, Jr. tied his career high of nine assists at IUP.
• IUP mounted a 16-2 run midway through the first half to build a 29-19 lead at the 5:14-mark.
• The Vulcans closed the half on a 9-2 run to trail by a 31-28 margin at the break.
• Cal was held to a .314 field-goal percentage (11-of-35) in the first half and teams combined for just three free-throw attempts.
• The Vulcans posted a 15-4 run early in the second half to seize a 43-37 advantage with 16:04 left to play.
• IUP countered with an 11-5 rally to tie the score, 48-48, at the 12:34-mark.
• Cal later held a 63-56 lead with 6:53 remaining before managing just three field goals the remainder of the game.
• The teams combined to convert all eight free-throws over the final 90 seconds to allow the Crimson Hawks to preserve the lead.
• The Vulcans finished the game shooting 43.1 percent (28-of-65) from the floor and made 12-of-13 attempts (92.3 percent) from the charity stripe.
• IUP scored 19 points off turnovers in the victory, including 13 points in the second half.
NEXT
• Cal finishes the regular season on Saturday, March 1, when it faces Edinboro at the Convocation Center on Senior Day at 3 p.m.
• The winner of the game will secure the second seed in the PSAC West and a first-round bye in the PSAC Tournament.
• The losing team earns the third seed and will host a first-round game on Monday, March 3.
