SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. (Feb. 8) – The Vulcans trailed by as many as 20 points late in the first half on Saturday afternoon before rallying for an 86-73 victory at Slippery Rock in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.
NOTES
• California (14-10, 9-7) has won five of the last six meetings in the series against Slippery Rock.
• The Vulcans remain tied for second in the PSAC West standings entering the final three weeks of the regular season.
• The Rock (11-12, 7-8) sits fourth in the divisional standings after losing five of its last six games.
• Junior
Donald Whitehead, Jr. scored a career-high 33 points after tallying 26 points in the second half.
• He shot 11-of-20 from the floor, including four-of-nine from long range, and seven-of-seven from the free-throw line.
• Whitehead also added six assists while playing all 40 minutes.
• Redshirt junior
Cam Polak posted 20 points and eight rebounds in the victory.
• Polak reached the 1,000 career point milestone on Saturday (844 Cal, 162 West Chester).
• Senior
Kadyn Hannah registered his third double-double of the season, finishing with a season-high 19 points, 10 rebounds and five steals.
• Sophomore
Dalman Alexander paced the team with 14 rebounds at Slippery Rock.
• The Rock opened the game on a 26-6 run after shooting 10-of-15 from the floor, including six-of-eight from beyond the arc.
• Slippery Rock held a 41-21 lead at the 3:59-mark before Cal closed the half on a 15-3 rally to cut the deficit to 44-36 at the break.
• The Vulcans trimmed the deficit to a single possession in the initial 90 seconds of the second half before tying the score at 52-52 with 13:20 remaining.
• Cal took a 66-65 lead at the 6:25-mark on a three-pointer by Whitehead, sparking a 22-8 run with 14 points by Whitehead.
• The Vulcans shot 42.9 percent (27-of-63) from the field in the win, including 12-of-32 (37.5 percent) from three-point territory.
• Cal scored 50 points in the second half while holding Slippery Rock to only a 22.2 clip (8-of-36) from the floor during that span.
• The Vulcans committed just seven turnovers and scored 18 fastbreak points in the victory.
NEXT
• The Vulcans continue their road trip by traveling to Clarion in PSAC West action on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 7:30 p.m.
