Feb 27, 2022 3 min read

Behind a run of 13-consecutive points in the third quarter, the California University women’s basketball team won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West for the first time since 2017 with a 63-57 win at Gannon in divisional action on Saturday afternoon.

With the victory, the Vulcans close out the regular season 22-4 overall behind a 17-4 mark in conference play. The Vulcans claimed the top seed from the PSAC West in next week’s league tournament after entering play having already secured a first-round bye. Meanwhile, the Lady Knights fall to 21-6 this season with a 16-6 record in league play, which is the second-best mark in the PSAC West standings.

Junior Shauna Harrison Sheffield, finished with a season-high 22 points on 7-of-11 from the floor, including five-of-seven from long range. She also collected three steals and two assists while playing all 40 minutes on Saturday. Harrison registered her second 20-point game this year and converted at least five three-pointers for the fourth time in her career.

Classmate Dejah Terrell registered 13 points, seven rebounds (four offensive) and two steals before fouling out. Fellow junior Ciaira Loyd recorded 10 points, six assists and three rebounds, while junior Lauren Bennett tallied eight points, six rebounds and three assists in the win.

Men’s Result

Gannon 87, Cal 83: The California University men’s basketball team closed the regular season with an 87-83 loss at Gannon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West action

With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 20-8 overall behind a 15-7 mark in league play to finish the season fourth in the divisional standings. Cal will now face Slippery Rock in the first round of the PSAC Tournament on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Golden Knights improve to 14-12 this season with an 11-11 record in conference action.

Sophomore Philip Alston scored a game-high 26 points after shooting 12-of-16 from the floor. He also collected 16 rebounds (four offensive) while playing all 40 minutes on Saturday.

Alston now ranks ninth in single-season school history with 597 points, while becoming only the ninth player in program history to collect 300 rebounds in a season.

Senior Brent Pegram finished with 19 points behind three-of-six from beyond the arc and eight-of-eight from the free-throw line. He added three rebounds, two assists and two steals in the loss. Junior Zyan Collins totaled 15 points and four assists, and freshman Keith Palek III registered 12 points on four-of-seven from long range, plus three rebounds and three assists.

The teams combined for 10 lead changes and five ties in the first half on Saturday. Alston scored the opening two baskets of the game before Gannon scored seven-straight points to take a 7-4 lead at the 17:51-mark. The Vulcans countered with a 9-4 run to claim a 13-11 lead on a layup by Alston with 13:44 left before halftime. Cal later held a 29-26 lead following a pair of free-throws by Pegram with 6:09 remaining in the first half before being held without a field goal over the final three minutes before the break.

The Golden Knights scored in the closing 30 seconds to enter halftime trailing by a 39-36 margin.