SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – Sophomore guard Marcus Banks (Clinton, Md./Riverdale Baptist) had 24 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists to lead Shepherd University (21-10) to an 84-74 win over California (Pa.) (18-12) in semifinal action of the PSAC Men's Basketball Championship at the Butcher Center on Saturday.

Banks connected on 8-of-17 field goals with an 8-of-10 effort from the charity stripe.

Senior forward Carson Poffenberger (Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown) added 18 points and 13 rebounds. Graduate student forward Chase Paar (Mount Airy, Md./Glenelg Country School/Towson) had 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three blocked shots.

Senior guard Jarod Robinson (Laurel, Md./Glenelg Country School) had nine points and six rebounds, while freshman guard Elwyne Wordlaw (Frederick, Md./Frederick) had nine points and three boards.

Donald Whitehead Jr. led the Vulcans with 23 points. Cam Polak added 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Keondre DeShields also tossed in 14 points.
 
Cal had a 39-28 lead at halftime behind 15 first-half points from Whiteside.
 
Shepherd opened the second half on a 14-4 run and took the lead for good at 43-42 after a layup by Paar with 15:17 left.
 
The Rams will build a 14-point lead that dwindled to eight points at 79-71 after a three-pointer by Duncan Moy with 1:28 remaining. Shepherd closed the game on a 5-3 run to cap the victory.

Shepherd connected on 45.5 percent (30-66) of its field goals with a 28.6 percent (6-21) performance from three-point range for the game. The Rams drained 75 percent (18-24) of their free throws.

California (Pa.) shot 34.7 percent (25-72) from the floor with a 34.4 percent (11-32) effort from beyond the arc. The Vulcans hit 76.5 percent (13-17) from the foul line.

Shepherd had a 44-43 edge in rebounds. The Rams forced six turnovers and committed four.

The Rams return to action on Sunday when they host Gannon, an 89-87 overtime winner over Millersville in the earlier semifinal, in the championship game at 3 p.m.