March 3, 2008

CALIFORNIA - For the second straight season, the Clarion University men's basketball team will travel to California for an opening round PSAC Playoff game.

Tip-off for the first-round contest is set for 8 p.m. Tuesday at Cal's Hamer Hall.

Last season, the Vulcans knocked off Clarion 67-62 in the opening round.

Golden Eagles look to break 5-game slide against California

Clarion (16-11 overall, 7-5 PSAC-West) is looking to break a 5-game losing streak to California (22-5, 11-1) Tuesday. The Golden Eagles have been swept in the regular-season series in each of the past two seasons including losing a pair of 10-point decision to the Vulcans this season.

On Jan. 19, Clarion, the third-place team in the PSAC-West this season, lost at California, the co-PSAC-West champion and second seed from the PSAC-West, 70-60. Ron Banks paced the Vulcans with 20 points while Theron Colao had 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Freshman Mike Sherry led Clarion with 14 points, while Lamar Richburg added 13 and Ricky Henderson 10 rebounds.

Meeting again at Clarion Feb. 9, Cal overcame a 2-point halftime deficit to get a 73-63 win behind 22 points and eight rebounds from Banks and 14 points and 11 boards from Alioune Mbaye. Richburg had 12 points for Clarion, while Damon Gross added 10 points and six rebounds and Sherry 10 points.

Clarion last beat California Feb. 18, 2006, 88-74, at Tippin Gym. The Golden Eagles are looking for their first win at Hamer Hall since a 72-49 decision Feb. 19, 2005. Since then, Clarion has lost four straight games at Cal.

Team-effort has been key for Clarion in 2008

Clarion, which enters the PSAC playoffs having won 8 of 11, has been keyed by a team-effort this season with five Golden Eagles averaging at least nine points a game and seven averaging at least 6.8 ppg.

Freshman Mike Sherry is Clarion's leading scorer averaging 12.5 ppg while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 43.6 percent (71 of 163) from 3-point range. He is also an 85.4 percent free-throw shooter (41 of 48). His 324 points this season are the most by a freshman at Clarion since Shawn Bellis had 358 in 1995 while being named PSAC-West Rookie of the Year, and Sherry ranks 22nd in the PSAC in scoring, second in 3-point field goal shooting and second in 3-pointers made.

Senior Ricky Henderson is adding 12.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg and 2.05 bpg. He ranks 24th in the PSAC in scoring, second in rebounding and third in blocks.

Junior Josh Yanke chips in with 11.5 ppg and 5.9 rpg, while senior Lonnell Jones is adding 9.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg and 3.37 apg (11th in the PSAC). Junior Damon Gross contributes 9.3 ppg and 5.8 rpg while shooting 43.8 percent (10th in the PSAC), and senior point guard Demetrius Graham leads the PSAC in steals (2.74 spg) and is fourth in the PSAC in assists (4.22 apg) while averaging 7.4 ppg. Senior Lamar Richburg chips in with 6.8 ppg and 2.9 rpg.

Banks, Mbaye, Colao pace Cal

California comes into the playoffs off an 80-77 loss at Edinboro Saturday that cost the Vulcans the PSAC-West title outright and the No. 1 seed from the PSAC-West in the PSAC Playoffs. The loss broke a 12-game win streak for Cal.

California's big three are Banks, Mbaye and Colao.

Banks is the 10th leading scorer in the PSAC at 15.1 ppg while adding 6.7 rpg. Mbaye is fourth in the PSAC in rebounding (8.4 rpg) and 20th in points (13.0 ppg), while Colao adds 10.6 ppg and has hit 40 3-pointers.

Clarion-Cal meet in PSAC Playoffs for sixth time

This is the sixth time Clarion and California have met in the PSAC Playoffs with the Vulcans winning the last four after Clarion won the first one.

Clarion's lone victory came in the 1984 quarterfinals when it won 77-71 at Clarion.

The Vulcans beat the Golden Eagles in the semifinals in 1985, 77-71 at Clarion, in the quarterfinals in 1999, 88-64 at Cal, and in the quarterfinals in 2004, 68-58 at Cal, before winning last season as well.

NOTES - Clarion is making its second straight PSAC Playoff appearance and its 11th in 12 years ... The Golden Eagles won the PSAC Title in 2001 beating West Chester 80-77 in the championship game at Edinboro ... Since that win, the Golden Eagles have won just one PSAC playoff game beating Edinboro 76-63 at Edinboro in 2003 before losing to Millersville 79-57 in the semifinals at Cal. Clarion has lost four straight PSAC Playoff games ... California is making its third straight trip to the PSAC Playoffs and its sixth in seven years. The Vulcans, who have won seven PSAC crowns, are looking for their first PSAC Title since 1999 and their first trip to the PSAC title game since losing to Millersville 79-74 in 2003 ... The winner of the game faces the winner of the Cheyney-Kutztown game at the highest remaining seed from the PSAC-East Friday ... Clarion head coach Ron Righter is the winningest coach in school history with a record of 328-211 in his 20th year at Clarion. In 22 years as a head coach, he is 352-235. Righter has taken Clarion to the PSAC playoffs 11 times ... California graduate assistant coach Terrance Vaughns is the 12th all-time leading scorer in Clarion history with 1,320 points (2003 to 2006). He also holds the school record for free-throw percentage ins a career (86.6 percent) and 3-point percentage in a season (47.7 percent in 2003).

CLARION MEN'S BASKETBALL IN THE PSAC PLAYOFFS

Record: 9-20; First Round: 0-1; Quarterfinals: 6-8; Semifinals: 2-5; Title Game: 1-6