CALIFORNIA, Pa. – In a showdown of nationally ranked teams, the No. 9/6 California men's basketball team shot more than 70 percent from the field and beat No. 17/12 Gannon 99-84 on Saturday at the Convocation Center.

Coach Jordan Fee's Golden Knights dropped to 11-2 overall and 5-2 in the PSAC West. California improved to 12-1 and 6-1.

The game was tied 15-15 with 14:35 left in the first half before the Vulcans closed the half with a 39-23 run to take a 54-38 halftime lead. Cal's advantage grew to 72-48 in the first eight minutes of the second half. The Knights got no closer than 15 the rest of the way.

 
KEYS TO THE GAME

California was able to handle Gannon's full-court pressure well for most of the game, particularly in the first half, when the Vulcans frequently got fastbreak buckets, including several resounding dunks.

The Vulcans shot 74.1 percent (20-of-27) in the first half, while Gannon shot just 36.8 percent (14-of-38). That trend continued in the second half as the Vulcans shot 70.6 percent (36-of-51) for the game while Gannon finished at 37.2 percent (29-of-78).

Cal played strong defense and contested many Gannon shots, forcing many difficult attempts for GU.

Gannon outrebounded Cal 42-33, including a 21-2 margin on the offensive boards, but the Knights were unable to convert many of the second-chance attempts.

 
BY THE NUMBERS

Gannon sophomore guard Josh Omojafo (Hamilton, Ontario/St. Jean de Brebeuf) finished with 30 points, including 23 in the second half. He shot 9-of-16 from the field and 12-of-15 from the foul line.

Lyle Tipton (Glenside, Pa./Philadelphia Montgomery Christian Academy) had 14 first-half points for Gannon and finished with 16 on 7-of-12 shooting. Other than Omojafo and Tipton, the other GU players shot a combined 13-of-50 for 26 percent.

Cal's KJ McClurg, the leading scorer in the PSAC West, scored 30 to tie Omojafo for game-high honors. Cal guard Zyan Collins had 21 points to move into the program's top 10 in career scoring. Collins also had eight assists.

 
WHAT'S NEXT

Gannon will visit PSAC West rival Edinboro on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.