Edinboro Fighting Scots (9-6, 8-4 PSAC West) vs. California (Pa.) Vulcans (7-11, 4-8 PSAC West)
Wednesday January 20, 2016 7:30 PM | McComb Fieldhouse | Edinboro, Pa.Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/edinboro/mbball/
Radio: WFSE-FM 88.9 (http://streamdb4web.securenetsystems.net/v5/WFSE)
The Game StoryThe Edinboro University men's basketball team looks to end a two-game losing streak Wednesday when they host California (Pa.) in a PSAC West game at 7:30 p.m. in McComb Fieldhouse. Edinboro stands at 9-6 with an 8-4 PSAC record while California (Pa.) holds a 7-11 overall record with a 4-8 conference record.
The Fighting Scots have lost consecutive games for the first time this season, falling to Clarion on January 9 in overtime, 74-68, and Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday, 80-65. The losses dropped the Scots from first place to third place in the PSAC West, behind first-place Indiana (Pa.) and second-place Mercyhurst. Against the Mountain Cats, the Boro opened the game shooting 1-for-11 and committing seven turnovers. This allowed UPJ, who shot 61.5 percentin the first half,to jump out to a 25-3 lead. They led at halftime, 44-18, their largest lead of the game.
One bright spot was senior center
Tommy Scales, who earned his fourth double-double of the season with a team-high 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. In addition, senior guard
Henri Wade-Chatman finished second on the team with 14 points, despite playing 25 minutes due to foul trouble.
Another bit of good news from Saturday was the return of sophomore forward
Quinn Lee Yaw. Lee Yaw started the first three games of the season (all of which were PSAC contests) before suffering an injury that had left him out of action since November 22. He played ten minutes in a reserve role against UPJ and had four points with one rebound. He had been averaging 3.3 rpg. before his injury.
Redshirt sophomore guard
Jaymon Mason was held to single digits in scoring for the first time this season against UPJ, tallying eight points. He entered Saturday tied with Seton Hill's Kameron Taylor as the PSAC's leading scorer at 21.7 ppg. He is currently third in the conference in scoring at 20.8 ppg, with Taylor and Indiana (Pa.)'s Brandon Norfleet tied for first at 21.7 ppg. One of Mason's strengths is his touch from the free throw line, ranking fourth in the PSAC and 33rd in NCAA Division II with an 87.5 free throw percentage. He is second in the conference and 25th in the nation with 91 free throws made. Mason takes tenth in the PSAC in 3-point field goal percentage at 38.3 percent and ranks ninth in defensive rebounds at 5.1 rpg.
Senior guard
Henri Wade-Chatman finished second on Edinboro with 14 points Saturday. He is fourth in the PSAC in scoring at 20.1 ppg. He and Mason make up the PSAC's highest-scoring tandem with a combined 41.8 ppg. Wade-Chatman is tenth in the conference in free throw percentage at 81.6 percent. He is tenth with 2.3 3-point field goals per game. Defensively Wade-Chatman is fourth in the conference in steals at 1.9 steals per game.
Scales is one of Edinboro's main threats down low, ranking seventh in the PSAC in rebounds at 7.9 rpg. and sixth in field goal percentage at 51.0 percent. He ranks fifth in the PSAC and 31st in Division II in offensive boards at 3.3 rpg. He had six offensive rebounds against Pitt-Johnstown, which helped Edinboro score 10 second-chance points.
The Fighting Scots are fifth-best in the PSAC in scoring at 77.9 ppg., but rank 16th in points allowed at 77.8 ppg., ahead of only Cheyney and Mansfield. The Scots are second in the PSAC and 36th in NCAA Division II in free throw percentage at 75.1 percent (278-for-370), trailing Pitt-Johnstown in the conference by 3.4 percent. Edinboro has excelled in handling the ball, possessing the fewest turnovers in the PSAC at 12.9 turnovers per game. They are ninth in the conference with a plus 0.5 turnover margin.
On the RadioThe Edinboro-California (Pa.) game can be heard live on WFSE FM 88.9, with Mike Fenner providing the play-by-play duties and Joshua Kaufer handling the color commentary.
All-Time SeriesCalifornia (Pa.) leads 92-79First Meeting: 1928-29 - Edinboro 36, California (Pa.) 25
Last Meeting: 2014-15 - Edinboro 68, California (Pa.) 59
Current Streak: Edinboro won the last meeting
Cleary vs. California (Pa.): 2-2
Last MeetingJanuary 31, 2015 - Edinboro 68, California (Pa.) 59Edinboro picked up its fourth straight win and defeated the Vulcans on the road for the first time since the 2011-12 season. Wade-Chatman paced Edinboro with 15 points, going 2-for-4 from behind the arc. Mason tallied 13 points and dished out a game-high four assists. Marrow finished with 11 points.
Tommy Scales contributed nine points and eight rebounds, while
Casey Baker grabbed eight boards, as well. Khalil Jabbie led all scorers with 22 markers, connecting on 6-of-15 field goals and 9-of-10 free throws. Jake Jacubec added 11 points, while Richard Smith pulled down a game-high 19 rebounds. The Fighting Scots shot 43.4 percent (26-of-60) for the game, including a 50.0 percent (15-of-30) in the second half. Edinboro made 31.3 percent (5-of-16) of 3-pointers and 55.0 percent (11-of-20) of shots from the free throw line. California connected on 33.9 percent (19-of-56) of field goals, 19.0 percent (4-of-21) from long range and 68.0 percent (17-of-25) from the charity stripe. The Fighting Scots edged the Vulcans on the boards 41-40 and held a 28-18 advantage on points in the paint.
Last Time OutJanuary 16, 2016 - Pitt-Johnstown 80, Edinboro 65The Fighting Scots began the game shooting 1-for-11 and committing seven turnovers. This permitted UPJ to control the flow from the beginning, jumping out to a 25-3 lead with 10:47 remaining in the first half. The Fighting Scots trailed 44-18 at the break, their largest deficit of the game. Edinboro shot just 26.9 percent (7-of-26) in the opening half and finished shooting 35.3 percent (22-of-62). The Mountain Cats went 57.8 percent for the game (26-for-45), including going 61.5 percent (16-of-26) in the first half, and connected on 7-of-17 3-pointers.
Tommy Scales paced Edinboro with 15 points and 11 rebounds, six of them offensive, for his fourth double-double.
Henri Wade-Chatman added 14 points but played just 25 minutes while saddled with foul trouble.
Michael Beck and
Je'Land Head had eight points apiece.
Jaymon Mason was held to a season-low eight markers, his first game under double figures this year. The sophomore guard came in tied for first in the PSAC in scoring at 21.7 ppg., but made just 2-of-10 field goals. UPJ's Nate Snodgrass ended the day with a game-high 23 points, making 8-of-13 field goals, including 3-of-5 3-pointers. A.J. Leahey added 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting and pulled down seven rebounds. Dale Clancy made 8-of-10 free throws on his way to 15 points, and added a team-high eight rebounds.
January 17, 2016 - California (Pa.) 90, PSU Greater Allegheny 59The Vulcans set a season high with 12 3-pointers while all 12 players for Cal U netted at least two points. Luka Andjusic and Nick Miller both made five 3-pointers and combined for 37 points. Andjusic had a game-high 20 points, shooting 7-for-10 from the field and 5-for-8 from long range. Miller had a career-high 17 points and went 5-for-7 from behind the arc. The Vulcans registered their second-best shooting performance of the season at 56.9 percent (33-of-58) from the floor. Cal U also shot a season-best 54.5 percent (12-of-22) from beyond the arc. Cal U held a dominating 48-27 rebounding advantage and scored 15 second-chance points. Richard Smith finished with 14 points, six rebounds and two assists, while Daniel Sapp posted nine points and five rebounds off the bench. Khalil Jabbie collected seven assists in the victory, while Nate Bellhy tied for the team lead with seven rebounds off the bench.
The Head CoachesEdinboro: Pat Cleary (33-35, 3rd Year)Pat Cleary sat at the right side of Edinboro head men's basketball coach Greg Walcavich for 14 years. On March 26, 2013, Cleary was officially introduced as Edinboro's tenth head coach after Walcavich announced his retirement. Cleary's first season ended with a 10-16 record. Edinboro lost three games to nationally-ranked teams and suffered a number of close losses, including two overtime losses and two defeats at the buzzer. Season number two saw the Fighting Scots make the PSAC playoffs as the number five seed after being picked to finish eighth in the PSAC coaches' poll. Edinboro ended the year with a 14-13 record, falling at Slippery Rock, 64-60, in the first round of the PSAC Playoffs. Among the victories was a 79-77 overtime upset of 16th-ranked Indiana (Pa.). The Crimson Hawks would go on to reach the NCAA Division II national championship game.
California (Pa.): Bill Brown (365-201, 20th year; Career: 490-328, 30th year)During his time with the Vulcans, Brown has amassed a record of 365-201 to become the winningest coach in program history. Brown has guided Cal U to eight 20-win seasons, qualifying for the PSAC Tournament in 14 of 19 seasons and advancing to the PSAC Championship four times, winning it twice (1999, 2008). They advanced to the Elite Eight in 2008. Before landing at Cal U, Brown served as head coach for eight seasons at Kenyon, a NCAA Division III program in Columbus, Ohio. He started his career as a head coach at Sacramento State and coached the Hornets for two seasons during the program's transition to NCAA Division I. He has held assistant coaching positions at Tennessee, Arkansas, Kent State, and his alma mater Ohio, where he was a three-year starter and a two-time, all-conference selection on the Bobcats basketball squad.
The Fighting ScotsLast Game's StartersTop ReservesPlayers to WatchHenri Wade-Chatman (G, Sr.) was named to the 2015 All-PSAC West first team after finishing second in the PSAC in 2014-15 with 18.9 ppg., and third in total points with 511. Wade-Chatman is 20th all-time at Edinboro with 1,171 career points through 68 games. He has started every game of his Edinboro career. He is fourth in the PSAC with 20.1 ppg. and 13th in 3-point field goal percentage at 37.4 percent (34-for-91). Wade-Chatman is tenth in the PSAC in free throw percentage at 81.6 percent (71-for-87) and is fourth in the conference and 36th in Division II in steals at 1.9 steals per game. He is eighth at Edinboro in career 3-pointers attempted (359) and seventh in career 3-pointers made (139). Wade-Chatman tied his career high of 32 points at Lock Haven on January 3. He has scored in double figures in all 15 games and has led the team in scoring in eight contests. Wade-Chatman has scored at least 20 points in eight games, including a stretch where he tallied at least 20 points in five straight contests. He was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Week for the week of December 28.
Tommy Scales (C, Sr.), a former transfer from Fairmont State, leads the Scots and is seventh in the PSAC with 7.9 rpg. He is third on the team in scoring at 11.9 ppg. He is sixth in the PSAC in field goal percentage at 51.0 percent (74-for-145). Scales registered his fourth double-double against Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday with a team-high 15 points and a game-high 11 points. After suffering a game-ending injury against Thiel on December 30, Scales made his first start in two games against Bloomsburg on January 6. He scored a game-high 16 points in the win while grabbing seven boards. Scales posted consecutive double-doubles at Mercyhurst (15 points, 11 rebounds) and at East Stroudsburg (16 points, 11 boards), and had his third double-double against IUP with 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Scales has led the team in rebounds in nine games.
Jaymon Mason (G, R-So.) was named the 2015 PSAC Freshman of the Year, the first Fighting Scot to receive this honor since Dan Grabill in 2002. Mason is third in the PSAC and ranks 30th in Division II in scoring at 20.8 ppg. and currently has 704 career points through 42 games. He was held to single digits in scoring for the first time this season against UPJ, tallying eight points. Mason leads the PSAC and is 25th in Division II with 91 free throws made while ranking fourth in the PSAC and 33rd in the nation in free throw percentage at 87.5 percent (91-for-104). He is ranked 10th in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage at 38.3 percent (31-for-81). Mason is 16th in the conference in field goal percentage at 43.8 percent (95-for-217). He has registered two 30-point games this season, including a career-high 39 points against Kutztown, along with 35 points against Gannon. He has been named the PSAC West Athlete of the Week twice. Mason has led the team in scoring six times and has scored 20-or-more points on seven occasions, most recently against Lock Haven, where he netted 25 points.
Scouting California (Pa.) The Vulcans are in eighth place in the PSAC West, possessing a 7-11 overall record and a 4-8 conference record. They are two games ahead of last-place Gannon. Cal U played three games last week, beating Gannon on Wednesday, 56-54, falling to Slippery Rock Saturday, 61-56, and downing Penn State Greater Allegheny on Sunday, 92-59.
Prior to defeating Gannon, the Vulcans were on a three-game losing streak and had lost five of their previous six games. During that stretch, they fell to PSAC opponents Indiana (Pa.), East Stroudsburg, 22-ranked West Chester, and Seton Hill. Their lone win came against Urbana. California (Pa.) is 1-5 in PSAC West contests.
Cal is one of the lowest-scoring teams in the PSAC, ranking 15th in scoring at 70.9 ppg. They are 12th in points allowed at 74.8 ppg. The Vulcans are 17th in the conference in free throw percentage at 65.9 (242-for-367), ahead of just Slippery Rock by 1.0 percent. Their leading scorer is sophomore guard Luka Anjusic, who averages 11.7 ppg. The Serbia native tops the conference with 41 3-pointers made and 104 3-point attempts. He is seventh in the PSAC in 3-point field goal percentage at 39.4 percent. He ranks eighth in 3-point field goals per game at 2.3.
Senior forward Richard Smith is the team's leading rebounder and is 11th in the conference at 7.1 rpg. He is tied for eighth in the PSAC in offensive boards at 2.5 rpg. Despite this, California (Pa.) has had a sub-par year on the glass, ranking 13th in the PSAC at 35.6 rpg. Smith is the team's second-leading scorer at 11.6 ppg and ranks sixth in the conference in assists at 4.2 assists per game. On the defensive side Smith is tied for seventh in the conference in blocks at 1.3 blocks per game.
Senior guard Khalil Jabbie is third-highest on the team in scoring at 9.8 ppg. and is ranked seventh in the conference in free throw percentage at 85.3 percent (64-for-75). He ranks sixth in assists at 4.2 assists per game.
The Vulcans are 14th in the conference with a -2.3 turnover margin. However, they rank highly in the conference in assists with 15.7 assists per game, good for fifth in the PSAC. They are second in the conference and 24th in NCAA Division II in total assists with 283.
Head coach Bill Brown, who is in his 20th season leading the Vulcans, has shuffled around his starting lineup over the course of this season. In the last five games, eight different players have started for Cal. Ten players have started at least two games this season, with Smith and Jabbie leading the team with 17 starts apiece. Andjusic has the second-most starts with 13. It is apparent from this that the Vulcans display plenty of depth. The last five games have seen the Vulcans bench average 22.0 ppg. Ten players average at least 10.0 minutes per game. Smith is the only Cal player to average more than 30.0 minutes per game at 31.7.
Last Game's Starters| P / No. | Player | Ht/Wt/Yr | Hometown | PPG / RPG |
| F / 1 | Josh Dombrowsky | 6-6/230/Sr. | Shenandoah Heights, Pa. | 3.7 / 3.1 |
| F / 21 | Richard Smith | 6-9/200/Sr. | Cleveland, Ohio | 11.6 / 7.1 |
| G / 35 | Luka Andjusic | 6-5/195/So. | Belgrade, Serbia | 11.7 / 2.9 |
| G / 32 | Nick Miller | 6-3/190/So. | Patton, Pa. | 5.8 / 1.2 |
| G / 11 | Khalil Jabbie | 6-0/165/Sr. | Alexandria, Va. | 9.8 / 3.4 |
Top Reserves| G / 23 | Daniel Sapp | 6-4/200/So. | Streetsboro, Ohio | 3.6 / 2.4 |
| F / 2 | Nate Bellhy | 6-6/235.Sr. | McDonald, Pa. | 6.3 / 3.3 |
| F / 22 | Tony Richardson | 6-8/240/So. | Sterling, Va. | 7.4 / 4.4 |
| G / 5 | Cordell Smith | 5-10/160/So. | Cleveland, Ohio | 7.6 / 2.6 |
| G / 10 | Drew Cook | 6-1/185/Jr. | Beaver Falls, Pa. | 2.3 / 1.6 |
