CALIFORNIA (Nov. 19) – Behind a game-high 18 points from senior
Emma Mahady (Albury, Australia/Xavier), the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team earned a 69-57 win over Mercyhurst in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opener for both teams on Wednesday evening at the Convocation Center.
With the win, the Vulcans improve to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in PSAC play. Meanwhile, the Lakers remain winless this season and falls to 0-3 overall with a 0-1 record in league action.
Mahady finished with 18 points, including 13 in the second half, after shooting 6-of-11 from the floor and four-of-five from the foul line. She also tallied a team-high eight rebound and added a pair of assists and steals in the victory. Sophomore guard
Miki Glenn (Bridgeport, W.Va./Bridgeport) collected 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting, while seniors
Kaitlynn Fratz (Accident, Md./Northern Garrett) and
Irina Kukolj (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) each finished with 11 points. Fratz added three rebounds and two steals while playing a team-high 39 minutes.
The first half saw Cal U and Mercyhurst go back-and-forth, as the two teams combined for seven ties and three lead changes. The Vulcans and Lakers traded baskets for the opening minutes of the first half before Mercyhurst took an 18-16 lead with 10:00 left before the break. The Lakers used an 8-2 run over a seven-minute stretch to extend their lead to 24-18 with just under 6:00 left in the first half before taking a 31-25 halftime lead.
Cal U opened up the second half on a 13-4 run, which was punctuated by a jumper from Kukolj, to take a 38-35 lead with 15:07 left to play. Mercyhurst regained the lead at 41-40 with 12:28 remaining before Cal U used a 19-9 run over six-plus minutes to extend its lead to 59-50 on a three-pointer by Mahady with 6:09 left to play. A pair of free-throws by Mahady gave the Vulcans their largest lead of the game at 65-52 at the 3:38-mark before winning by 12 points.
The Vulcans finished the game shooting 42.6 percent (26-for-61) from the floor and 28.6 percent (two-of-seven) from beyond the arc. However, the Lakers shot at a 45.1 clip (23-for-51) from the field and 41.7 percent (5-for-12) from three-point range. Mercyhurst out-rebounded Cal U by a slim 34-33 margin despite the Vulcans recording 14 offensive rebounds. The Vulcans forced 25 turnovers in the victory and finished with a dominating 30-4 advantage in points off turnovers.
Mercyhurst junior Adrienne Kloecker was the lone player to score in double-digits, finishing with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Sophomore Angela Heintz scored nine points and added six rebounds, while classmate Hayley Andres finished with eight points and five rebounds.
Cal U returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 22, when it travels to face defending-league champion and preseason PSAC West-favorite Edinboro at 1 p.m.
