CALIFORNIA, Pa. - The Gannon men's basketball team received a rude welcome to its first season of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division play Wednesday night. California (Pa.) committed only eight turnovers, shot 46 percent from the field, and shot 83.3 percent from the free throw line down the stretch en route to a 62-55 upset of the sixth-ranked Golden Knights in the PSAC West opener for both squads.

Gannon owned its only lead of the evening at 8-6 on Pierre Howard's (Chicago, Ill./Bloom) jumper 4:46 into the contest. California (Pa.) then went on a 12-1 run over the next 5:06 to assume an 18-9 lead with 10:08 remaining in the first half. Julian Logan ignited the run with consecutive hoops, including a dunk. He scored eight of the 18 points during the blitz.

Dave Wilson's (Vidalia, La./Vidalia) tip-in with nine minutes showing on the clock stopped the run and was Gannon's first field goal in six minutes and 14 seconds. The Golden Knights whittled the lead to 22-21 after a mini 6-0 run late in the half and stayed close until halftime. Logan's jumper with four seconds left capped a 14-point first-half performance and sent the Vulcans to the locker room with a 30-26 lead. It marked Gannon's first halftime deficit of the season.

The second half seemed to be an uphill battle for the never-say-die Golden Knights. California (Pa.) slowly built its advantage to 50-38 with 9:06 to play, equaling the Vulcans' largest lead of the evening.

Back-to-back three-pointers from George Johnson (Arlington, Va./Wakefield) and Joe Lindsey (Spring Valley, N.Y./Spring Valley) brought Gannon within 53-49 with 4:17 to play, but California uncharacteristically buried 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch to preserve the 62-55 victory. The Vulcans entered the game with a 58.1 free throw percentage, hitting 150-of-258 attempts.

Howard led Gannon's offensive unit with a season-high 20 points, converting 8-of-16 shots. Lindsey added 10 points without a turnover at point guard.

Gannon shot 37.5 percent (18-48) from the field, 25 percent (4-16) from three-point range, and 75 percent (15-20) from the free throw line. The Golden Knights posted a 34-27 edge on the glass, out-rebounding their 28th consecutive opponent.

California's Logan led all scorers with 21 points, making 9-of-14 shots. Kelsey Williams and Jesse Brooks chipped in 10 points each.

The Vulcans shot 46 percent (23-50) from the floor, 12.5 percent (1-8) from behind the arc, and 83.3 percent (15-18) from the charity stripe.

Gannon, ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division II, dropped to 11-2 overall and 0-1 in the PSAC West. California, an NCAA Division II Elite Eight team last season, improved to 8-5 overall and 1-0 in conference play. The Golden Knights return to action Saturday, January 17 against Clarion at the Hammermill Center. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m.

For a complete box score from Wednesday's Gannon-Cal men's basketball game, please click here.