ERIE, Pa. (March 15) – In a rematch of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship, the fourth-seeded California (PA) men's basketball team was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament with an 89-73 loss in the second round at top-seeded Gannon on Sunday night at the Highmark Events Center.

With the loss, the Vulcans finish the season at 23-9 overall while making their third appearance in the NCAA Tournament over the last five years. Cal was facing Gannon for the fourth time this season, including the second time in a week, with each team winning twice. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights improve to 30-3 this year and will host sixth-seeded IUP in the Atlantic Regional Championship on Tuesday, March 17.

Sophomore Keondre DeShields scored a team-high 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting while playing 26 minutes off the bench. Senior Brayden Reynolds posted 15 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals in the loss.

Redshirt junior Bryson Lucas tallied 11 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals. He finishes the year with 549 total points, which ranks No. 15 in single-season school history. Sophomore Jordyn Buchanan registered 12 points, four rebounds and six assists, while junior Dalman Alexander collected eight points and five rebounds.

Cal scored six of seven points early in the game before the teams were tied at 10-10 at the initial media timeout of the first half. The Vulcans later rallied off eight-consecutive points to take a 21-15 lead at the 12:31-mark before the Golden Knights countered with 11-straight points to claim a 26-21 lead with 7:52 left in the first half. Cal went over six minutes without a field goal before Alexander sparked a run of eight-consecutive points and forced a timeout by Gannon at the 5:04-mark with the Vulcans holding a 29-26 lead. The Golden Knights snapped a three-minute scoreless drought with 4:18 left in the half which ignited a 12-2 rally to claim a 38-33 lead with 1:50 remaining before the break. Gannon later took a 42-35 lead at halftime behind 13 second-chance points and 17 points by sophomore Pace Prosser.

The Vulcans were scoreless for nearly the opening four minutes of the second half, and the Golden Knights raced out to a 51-37 lead at the 15:42-mark. Cal trimmed the deficit to eight points, 53-45, with six-consecutive points in less than 30 seconds with 14:10 left to play. The Vulcans later trailed by 10 points, 69-59, before the Golden Knights scored nine-straight points to take a 78-59 lead with 6:01 remaining. Cal responded with a 9-1 run to cut the lead to 79-68 at the 3:43-mark but were unable to work the deficit to single digits during the remainder of the game.

Cal finished the game shooting 48.1 percent (26-of-54) from the floor, including 4-of-18 (22.2 percent) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Gannon also shot 48.1 percent (37-of-77) from the field with a 27.3 clip (6-of-22) from long range. The Golden Knights held a 42-31 rebounding advantage behind 19 offense rebounds that led to 23 second-chance points. Gannon also forced 19 turnovers and scored nearly 60 points in the paint.

Prosser led all players with 30 points on 13-of-23 shooting, including four-of-eight from three-point territory. Redshirt junior Precious Idiaru tallied 12 points and eight rebounds, while junior Lucas Morgan finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Gannon and IUP will be facing for the fourth time this season in a rematch of the semifinals from the PSAC Tournament last weekend. The Golden Knights have won all three meetings with the Crimson Hawks, including both at the Highmark Events Center. IUP advanced to regional championship with a 66-62 overtime win over seventh-seeded Virginia Union on Sunday.