CALIFORNIA (Nov. 15) – Behind double-doubles from senior
Emma Mahady (Albury, Australia/Xavier) and sophomore
Miki Glenn (Bridgeport, W.Va./Bridgeport), the Vulcans earned a 78-68 win against No. 18 West Liberty on Saturday evening at the Convocation Center.
With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team improves to 2-0 this season while hosting a tip-off tournament for the first time since the 2011-12 season. Meanwhile, West Liberty falls to 1-1 overall after being the preseason favorite in the Mountain East Conference (MEC).
Mahady tied her career high with 23 points on 10-of-20 attempts from the floor. She led all players with 11 rebounds (three offensive) to record her second career double-double. Glenn finished with 18 points after converting 12-of-14 attempts from the free-throw line while playing all 40 minutes. The 5-foot-7 guard also added 10 rebounds, two assists and three steals in the victory.
Senior
Irina Kukolj (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) posted 17 points after shooting 7-of-14 from the field. Junior
Lana Doran (Northamptonshire, England/Barking Abbey) tallied seven points, six rebounds and three steals on Saturday.
West Liberty jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the opening minutes before Cal U scored 12-consecutive points to take a 14-9 lead on a layup by Mahady with 13:46 left in the first half. The Hilltoppers later mounted 16-6 run over nearly five minutes to take a 27-24 lead with 7:13 remaining before the break. Cal U answered with a 14-6 rally to reclaim the lead at 38-33 on a three-pointer by Mahady with 2:56 left in the first half. The Vulcans later took a 41-39 lead into the break with a combined 24 first-half points by Kukolj and Mahady.
The teams traded baskets in the opening five minutes before the Vulcans mounted a 7-2 run to stretch the lead to 60-51 on a pair of free-throws by Kukolj with 14:16 left to play. Cal U took its largest lead of the game at 64-53 on a layup by Mahady with 10:39 remaining in the game. The Vulcans were then held without a field goal for 10-plus minutes, as the Hilltoppers cut the deficit to 71-66 with 1:52 left to play. Kukolj snapped the streak with a layup at the 1:25-mark before Glenn sealed the victory with five free-throws in the final minute.
Cal U finished the game shooting 42.2 percent (27-of-64) from the floor despite making just 15.4 percent (2-of-13) from beyond the arc. In comparison, West Liberty shot at a 39.4 clip (26-of-66) from the field and 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from three-point territory. The Vulcans out-rebounded the Hilltoppers by a 45-36 margin and scored 38 points from inside the paint. Cal U also forced 19 turnovers in the victory.
West Liberty junior Liz Flowers scored a team-high 19 points and added a team-high seven rebounds. Junior Jasmin Kiley and freshman Baylen Dyrlund finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively, off the bench.
The Vulcans return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 19, when they open Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play by hosting Mercyhurst at 5:30 p.m.
