Vulcans’ athleticism key in victory over West Virginia State

Courtesy of PennWest California

CALIFORNIA – You want athletes? The California men’s basketball team has them in abundance.

You want shooters? The Vulcans have plenty of ’em, and at all five positions.

You want grittiness, experience and disciplined team play? Yep, Cal has all of those winning characteristics, too.

All of those facets were on display Friday in the first round of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional as California broke open a close game in the second half and cruised to a 96-80 victory over West Virginia State at the Convocation Center.

Second-seeded Cal (28-4) advances to play third-seeded Charleston (W.Va.), a 93-55 winner over Concord, in the regional semifinal at 7:30 tonight.

The Vulcans put West Virginia State (20-10) away with a sizzling eight-minute stretch in the second half that turned a tense 58-53 lead into an commanding 80-62 advantage.

K.J. McClurg, who earlier in the day was named the regional player of the year, led Cal in scoring with 26 points on 9-for-14 shooting to go along with five assists. He even drew some special attention from WVS, which dusted off a box-in-one defense for a few possessions in the second half.

“That’s the first time in 25 years of coaching that we’ve played a box-and-one,” said Yellow Jackets coach Bryan Poore. “It’s the national tournament. You have to do something to mix it up.

“I was just trying to throw them off rhythm. When you sit in man or a zone against Cal, they will see where your holes are. So we were trying to throw something different at them.”

The gimmick defense didn’t work. Not much did on the defensive end for the Yellow Jackets. Cal shot 56 percent and made eight of 18 three-point shots.

“We got a lot of open 15-foot jump shots because we moved the ball,” Cal coach Danny Sancomb pointed out.

Despite Cal’s solid play, West Virginia State stayed within striking distance until late in the game because of the stellar performance by senior swingman Anthony Pittman, who scored a game-high 30 points, many on daring drives through the Cal defense.

“West Virginia State is a good team,” Sancomb said. “They are athletic and long, and have one of the best players in the region and the nation.”

Cal led 42-36 at halftime and was up 58-53 when the Vulcans put together the game-clinching spurt. It began with a seemingly harmless 15-foot jumper by point guard Donald Whitehead and Jermaine Hall followed by banking in a three-pointer that made it 63-53.

Hall added two free throws and McClurg, against the box-and-one, went backdoor and took a nifty pass from Keith Palek for a layup.

Hall made another three, McClurg made a crossover move and floated in a one-handed shot and Hall followed with a jumper from the baseline. Suddenly, it was 76-59.

McClurg made a pass to Antoine Arnett for a layup and Bryson Lucas took an alley-oop pass from Whitehead and threw down a thunderous dunk that made it 80-62 and took the life out of the Yellow Jackets.

“We were within striking distance for most of the game,” Poore said. “We just couldn’t get over the hump.”

Hall finished with 22 points, Whitehead had 19 and Lucas 10, making the Vulcans’ first NCAA tournament game at the Convocation Center a success.

“This is exciting,” Sancomb said. “This is a great facility and hosting NCAA tournament games here says where the program has come. We’ve steadily made improvements. It’s an unbelievable facility and we have unbelievable players.”

Charleston, 93-55

Eddie Colbert III scored 18 points and Charleston took control early and cruised to a 93-55 win over Concord.

The Golden Eagles (28-4) shot 63 percent for the game and raced out to a 48-22 halftime lead.

Colbert led five Charleston players in double figures.