CALIFORNIA (March 5) – Led by a season-high 27 points by freshman
Jordyn Buchanan, the California (PA) men's basketball team claimed an 87-75 victory over Seton Hill in the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament on Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.
With the win, the Vulcans improve to 18-11 overall and advance to face Shepherd in the semifinals of the PSAC Tournament on Saturday, March 8, at 3:30 p.m. Cal has advanced to the semifinals of the tournament for a consecutive season. Meanwhile, the Griffins finish the year with a 16-14 record after playing in the quarterfinals of the PSAC Tournament for the first time in program history.
Buchanan scored 27 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including six-of-nine from beyond the arc, and five-of-six from the free-throw line. He also collected 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the year while playing all 40 minutes. Buchanan ranks third on the team in scoring this year with 11.6 points per game on a .472 field-goal percentage (110-of-233).
Junior
Donald Whitehead, Jr. finished with 17 points, three rebounds and seven assists against the Griffins. He sits among the top five in the PSAC with both 19.8 points per game and 4.9 assists per game. Sophomore
Dalman Alexander posted 16 points, seven rebounds (four offensive) and two assists, while redshirt junior
Cam Polak totaled nine points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals in the win. Senior
Kadyn Hannah totaled 10 points, two rebounds, one block and one steal while battling foul trouble.
Cal scored 12-unanswered points midway in the first half to take a 20-8 lead at the 9:35-mark after Alexander converted a three-point play. The Griffins were held scoreless for five minutes before later mounting a 12-5 rally to cut the deficit to seven points, 33-26, with 3:42 left in the first half. Seton Hill trailed by two possessions, 35-30, at the 2:05-mark before Cal took 43-33 lead into the break.
The Vulcans held a 52-46 lead before Buchanan made a three-pointer on three-straight possessions to stretch the lead to 61-46 with 11:46 left to play. Seton Hill worked the deficit to nine points, 64-55, before Cal scored eight of 10 points to seize a 75-59 advantage at the 5:21-mark. The Vulcans maintained a double-digit lead throughout the remainder of the game to earn their fifth-straight win in the PSAC Tournament at the Convocation Center.
Cal finished the game shooting 42.4 percent (28-of-66) from the floor behind a season-high .481 clip (13-of-27) from long range. In comparison, Seton Hill made 42.9 percent (24-of-56) from the field while going just 7-of-25 (28.0 percent) from beyond the arc. The Griffins held a 41-36 rebounding advantage and scored 32 points in the paint. The Vulcans were credited with 17 assists in the victory and committed just four turnovers, including zero in the first half.
Seton Hill redshirt freshman Edir Ortiz led the team with 16 points and nine rebounds in the loss. Junior Gabe Gillespie finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore Kedrick Curtis posted 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Graduate student Ryan Meis, the team's leading scorer this season, was limited to nine points on 4-of-12 shooting after averaging over 25 points the last five games.
The Vulcans travel to face Shepherd in the semifinals on Saturday for the first-ever meeting between the programs in the PSAC Tournament. The Rams, which finished third in the PSAC East standings, advanced to semifinals with a 79-67 win at East Stroudsburg on Wednesday.
