EDINBORO, Pa. (Nov. 22) – The Vulcans registered their second victory of the season over a nationally-ranked opponent on Saturday afternoon, posting a 76-48 win at No. 6 Edinboro in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.
With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team improves to 4-0 overall with a 2-0 mark in league play. The Vulcans have won three of the last four meetings against the Fighting Scots, including two at McComb Fieldhouse, after losing eight-straight games in the series. Meanwhile, Edinboro falls to 3-1 this season with a 1-1 record in conference action after being the preseason favorite in the PSAC West.
Sophomore guard
Miki Glenn (Bridgeport, W.Va./Bridgeport) scored a game-high 20 points on six-of-eight from the floor, including three-of-three from beyond the arc, and five-of-five from the free-throw line. She added four rebounds, three assists and five steals while playing all 40 minutes. The 2014 PSAC West Freshman of the Year, Glenn has scored at least 15 points in the last three games and is averaging 4.5 steals per game this season.
Seniors
Emma Mahady (Albury, Australia/Xavier) and
Irina Kukolj (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) both scored in double figures on Saturday, finishing with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Mahady made 7-of-14 attempts from the field and totaled seven rebounds, while Kukolj tied for the team lead with eight rebounds. Junior
Lana Doran (Northamptonshire, England/Barking Abbey) added nine points and eight rebounds despite battling foul trouble in the second half.
After a basket by Edinboro to open the game, Cal U mounted a 13-1 run to take a 13-3 lead on a basket by Doran with 13:58 left in the first half. The Fighting Scots made their second field goal of the half at the 13:35-mark before the Vulcans answered with a 10-2 run to stretch the lead to 23-7 on a layup by freshman
Shatara Parsons (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) with 6:54 remaining before the break. Edinboro then scored six of the next eight points to cut the deficit to 25-13 before Cal U closed the half on a 15-1 rally to take a 40-14 lead at the break following a pair of free-throws by Glenn in the closing seconds.
The Fighting Scots scored eight-unanswered points to start the second half before the Vulcans countered with a 7-1 run to take a 47-23 lead on a jumper by Mahady with 15:05 left to play. After the teams traded points, Cal U mounted a 14-6 rally over nearly five minutes to take a 62-33 lead on a three-pointer by Glenn at the 9:15-mark. The Fighting Scots answered with an 8-2 run before the Vulcans sealed the victory with a 12-5 rally and took their largest lead of the game at 76-46 on another trey by Glen with 12 seconds remaining.
Cal U finished the game shooting 46.8 percent (29-of-62) from the floor and 72.2 percent (13-of-18) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Edinboro shot at a 32.2 clip (19-of-59) after making just six field goals in the first half and converted just 25.0 percent (4-of-16) from beyond the arc, including 0-for-6 before halftime. The Vulcans finished with a 41-38 rebounding advantage and scored 14 second-chance points. Cal U also forced 23 turnovers in the victory and finished with a 24-11 edge in points off turnover after Edinboro failed to total a point off a turnover in the first half.
Guard Hope Mancini was the only player to score in double-digits for the Fighting Scots, finishing with 11 points on 5-of-14 shooting. Forward Laurel Lindsay added eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds, but made just 3-of-11 from the floor and committed nine turnovers. Edinboro was without reigning PSAC West Athlete of the Year Valerie Majewski, who has yet to play in a game this season.
The Vulcans return to action with a pair of non-conference games next week, beginning on Tuesday, Nov. 25, when they host Findlay at 6 p.m.
