Cal men’s rally falls short against SRU
California University has proven to be a good come-for-behind team. The Vulcans proved as much Wednesday when they rallied from a 10-point deficit and won in overtime at PSAC West Division leader Gannon.
The problem for the Vulcans is playing catch-up ball is difficult to keep up over the course of a season. Cal fell behind by 14 points at halftime before having a late rally come up short Saturday in a 64-62 home loss to Slippery Rock.
Cal (8-6, 12-7) had a miserable first half, shooting only 17 percent (5-for-27) from the field and committing 12 turnovers. But the Vulcans were able to fuel a comeback by getting to the free-throw line and collecting 17 offensive rebounds against Slippery Rock (10-4, 15-5), the top rebounding team in all divisions. The Vulcans made 30 of 39 free throws, including two by Jake Jacubec that tied the score at 57-57 with 2:12 left.
Antonio Brown made one of two free throws with 10.5 seconds remaining to give The Rock a 64-62 lead, and Jacubec had a desperation shot from the top of the key against a taller opponent miss the basket as time expired.
Khalil Jabbie led Cal with 18 points, making 10 of 12 free throws. Richard Smith had 11 points and Calvin Brown had 10. The Vulcans shot only 26 percent for the game.
“I don’t fault the team’s effort,” Cal coach Bill Brown said. “We clawed our way back. That’s when knocking down an open three or getting an extra stop makes the difference. We didn’t get it done. Hopefully, the guys will take some things from this one, mainly the understanding that execution and shot selection are important.”
Kelvin Goodwin paced Slippery Rock with 19 points. Frank Holloway followed with 18 and Butler had 13.
Thomas More 92, Waynesburg 82: Nate McGovney scored eight of his 21 points in overtime as Thomas More defeated Waynesburg, 92-82, in a Presents’ Athletic Conference game.
Kenny Klase made a layup with 16 seconds in regulation to give the Yellow Jackets a 72-71 lead, but Jalen Clark made one of two free throws with two seconds remaining after being fouled by Jason Propst after rebounding a missed shot to tie the score at 72-72.
The Saints then outscored the Yellow Jackets 20-10 in the overtime period.
Drew Mumford scored 24 points, Daniel Williams 15, Clark 12 and Drew Mays 11 for Thomas More (7-2, 12-6), while Louis Maniacci blocked five shots.
Kenny Klase had 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Propst scored 16 points and had four steals for the Yellow Jackets (5-4, 9-9), who fell into a fourth-place tie with Bethany with the loss.
Grove City 68, W&J 49: J.T. Schwartz scored 25 points, hitting six-of-nine three-pointers he attempted, as Grove City handed Washington & Jefferson its ninth consecutive PAC loss, 68-49.
Cory Huff had 15 points and Mitch Marmelstein added 13 for the Wolverines (3-6, 8-10), who led 36-26 at the half.
Mike Resnik led the Presidents (0-9, 1-17) with 15 points, while Jake Swan scored 11 in the losing effort.
Women’s basketball
Thomas More 109, Waynesburg 75: No. 2-ranked Thomas More set a school record for points in a half, outscoring Waynesburg, 74-23, en route to a 109-75 PAC win over the visiting Yellow Jackets.
Sydni Wainscott had 19 points, Sydney Moss 16, Alexa Santamaria 15, Kirsten Paul 11 and Stephanie Krusling 10 for the Saints (10-0, 17-0), who earned head coach Jeff Hans his 100th victory at Thomas More.
Lauren Blair had 22 points to lead Waynesburg (5-5, 8-0), which is tied with Grove City for fourth place in the conference standings. Rebecca Kerr added 11 points in the losing effort.
W&J 78, Grove City 68: Washington & Jefferson overcame a 38-36 halftime deficit to defeat Grove City, 78-68, in a women’s PAC game.
Valerie Dunlap scored 17 of her game-high 25 points in the second half, hitting all seven of her shots from the field, while also grabbing 12 rebounds and blocking five shots for the Presidents (7-3, 13-4). Taylor Cortazzo added 20 points for W&J.
Kathy Erbelding had 16 points and 13 rebounds for Grove City (5-5, 7-10), which also got 15 points from Kelsey Shirey, 12 from Cayley McClean and 10 from Natalja Galens.