No. 8 Cal outlasts Crimson Hawks

California’s KJ McClurg shoots over IUP’s Garvin Clarke during the first half of the Vulcans’ win over their PSAC West rival. Jenn Codeluppi / MVI Sports

By ADAM BREWER
MVI Sports
In their final home game of the regular season, the California University of Pa. men’s basketball team knew it would be tested by rival Indiana University of Pa.
The Vulcans made the plays when they counted and was able to withstand multiple comeback attempts by the visitors, posting a 75-68 victory over the Crimson Hawks Wednesday night at the Convocation Center in PSAC West action.
“It was a rock fight tonight,” Cal coach Danny Sancomb said. “They are a good team that plays hard. They can shoot and can defend you for 40 minutes. I was really happy with our consistency on defense. We were good enough on offense tonight and just kept on battling the whole night.”
This is the first time since 2007-08 that Cal swept the regular-season series against IUP and it’s also the first time in 10 tries that Cal won at home against IUP. The Vulcans (24-3, 18-3) have won 11 of their last 12 games and improved to 12-1 at home this season.
“We dug in on the defensive end tonight and we got some key stops there in the second half,” Cal sophomore guard Donald Whitehead Jr. said. “Right now we are so locked in on defense. I get a lot of shots up during practice and I just want to stay aggressive in games. My teammates believe in me and I have a lot of confidence in my shot.”

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