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Box Score
CALIFORNIA (Jan. 2) – With five players scoring in double figures, the No. 10 California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to post a 77-65 victory over West Chester in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action on Saturday afternoon at Hamer Hall.
With the win, the Vulcans improve to 8-2 this season and extend their home-winning streak to 26 games. Meanwhile, the Golden Rams drop to 7-2 this year and have lost back-to-back games after opening the season with seven-straight victories.
Senior guard
Brooque Williams (Pittsburgh, Pa./Perry) scored a game- and season-high 28 points on 9-of-14 from the field and 10-of-14 from the free-throw line. The All-American guard also registered her sixth double-double of the season, as she collected 14 rebounds (six offensive) and added five steals. Williams played a key role in the second-half comeback, scoring 21 points in the final 20 minutes of the game.
Junior forward
Kayla Smith (Elkins, W.Va./Elkins) posted her third-consecutive double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds (eight offensive). The West Virginia native also collected four assists and two steals against the Golden Rams.
Sophomore
Amy Johns (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport/Xavier) also scored 12 points and finished with eight rebounds, five steals and three assists, while senior
Crystal Andrews (Johnstown, Pa Johnstown/Pitt-Johnstown) added 10 points and six rebounds. Freshman guard
Mona Rowe (Morgantown, W.Va./University) rounded out the quintet scoring in double-figures, posting all 10 of her points off the bench in the first half.
Midway through the second half, the Golden Rams held a 48-38 lead before the Vulcans mounted a 15-2 rally over a span of 5:26 to take a 53-50 lead with 7:40 remaining. West Chester countered with four-straight points to reclaim the lead before Cal U took the final lead change, 55-54, when Williams converted a traditional three-point play with 6:30 left in the game. The Vulcans then engineered a 14-2 run to seize control of the game and take a 69-56 advantage with 3:33 remaining. Cal U led by as many as 15 points twice in the final minute.
The first half featured a combined seven lead changes and three ties with Cal U holding a 30-25 lead after a jumper by Rowe with 1:28 left before the break. The Golden Rams then scored seven-unanswered points to take a 32-30 lead at halftime.
Senior forward Renata Neal led the Golden Rams with 19 points, while sophomore guard Jillian Keefer scored 13 points off the bench. Freshman Allison Hostetter added a double-double for West Chester with 11 points and 10 rebounds (six offensive) in the loss.
In the win, Cal U shot 40.0 percent (26-of-65) from the field and just 25.0 percent (4-of-16) from beyond the arc. The Vulcans took advantage of foul trouble by the Golden Rams in the second half, finishing with a .656 free-throw percentage (21-of-32). In contrast, West Chester made 32.8 percent (20-of-61) of its shots and 88.0 percent (22-of-25) from the charity stripe.
The Vulcans held a sizeable 53-39 advantage on the glass with 23 offensive rebounds translating into 21 second-chance points. Cal U also collected 15 steals in the victory despite committing a season-high 29 turnovers.
Cal U continues league crossover play tomorrow, Sunday, Jan. 3, when they host Millersville at 1 p.m. The Vulcans won both meetings against the Marauders last season, including a 67-57 victory in the semifinals of the PSAC Tournament.
