Vulcans in PSAC title game for first time since 2008
ERIE – Senior Jermaine Hall scored a game-high 23 points, including 18 second half, and deflected a last-second three-point attempt by Lock Haven as California defeated the Bald Eagles 81-78 Saturday afternoon in the PSAC men’s basketball tournament semifinals at the Hagerty Family Events Center.
California, which is ranked No. 8 in NCAA Division II, advances to the conference championship game today against Gannon. The Vulcans are 27-3 overall with a winning streak of nine games.
Lock Haven falls to 21-8 after earning the top seed from the PSAC East.
Hall was 7-of-14 shooting, including five-of-nine from three-point range. He also registered his third double-double in the last four games as he finished with 12. Hall climbed to No. 14 all-time in school history in scoring with 1,322 points.
Sophomore KJ McClurg finished with 19 points behind 5-of-10 shooting from the floor and 8 of 8 from the free-throw line. Redshirt senior Zyan Collins totaled 10 points, five rebounds and five assists, while redshirt freshman Antoine Arnett added eight.
Junior Keith Palek came off the bench to score nine points. He became the 37th player in school history, and fourth on the active roster, to reach 1,000 career points.
The Vulcans mounted a 9-2 run to take a 73-68 advantage on three-point field goal by Hall with 3:31 remaining. Cal later stretched the lead to 77-71 before Lock Haven countered with a 7-2 rally to cut the deficit to 79-78 with 17.7 seconds to play. McClurg converted a pair of free-throws three seconds later to give the Vulcans an 81-78 lead. The Bald Eagles attempted a potential game-tying three-pointer in the closing seconds that was blocked by Hall and collected by Bryson Lucas at the buzzer to seal the victory.
Senior Jalen Gorham and graduate student Dyson Harward led Lock Haven with 17 points and combined for 17 rebounds. Justice Shoats finished with 14.
The Vulcans will be playing in their first PSAC championship game since 2008. Cal and Gannon split the regular-season series with the home team winning each time. The Golden Knights advanced to the title game after rolling to a 98-64 win over Millersville.