CALIFORNIA (Jan. 24) – Senior
Emma Mahady (Albury, Australia/Xavier) registered a double-double with 20 points 10 rebounds in leading the No. 24 California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team to a 74-63 victory over Slippery Rock in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
With the win, the Vulcans improve to 15-3 overall behind a 9-1 mark at home. Cal U remains tied for second place in the divisional standings with a 12-2 record in conference action. Meanwhile, The Rock falls to 7-11 this season behind a 3-11 mark in league play.
Mahady recorded her second double-double of the season while shooting 50.0 percent (8-of-16) from the floor, including 4-of-10 from beyond the arc. The Australian also totaled five steals and five assists while playing 39 minutes. Fellow senior
Kaitlynn Fratz (Accident, Md./Northern Garrett) tied for the team lead with 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting and added three assists and three steals. Classmate
Irina Kukolj (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) added 11 points, three rebounds and two steals, while sophomore
Miki Glenn (Bridgeport, W.Va./Bridgeport) registered nine points, six rebounds and nine assists while playing all 40 minutes.
The Vulcans opened the game on a 10-2 run as Cal U connected on three-of-four shots from the floor, including three-of-three from beyond the arc. Fratz scored six of the 10 points for the Vulcans, who limited Slippery Rock to just one-of-five shooting during the run. The Rock cut the lead to 13-6 after a jumper at the 15:09-mark. Cal U responded with an 11-3 run to take a 24-12 lead with 9:35 left in the half after a pair of free-throws by Glenn. The Vulcans later extended their lead to 32-18 after Mahady connected on back-to-back three-pointers. Slippery Rock answered with a 15-5 run to cut the deficit 34-33 before Cal U took a 35-33 halftime lead.
The teams traded points to begin the second half before a layup by Kukolj gave the Vulcans a 41-37 lead at the 16:46-mark. Cal U extended its lead to 49-40 after a pair of free-throws by Glenn with 14:56 left to play. Slippery Rock was able to cut the Cal U lead to 53-49 at the midway point of the half. Fratz made a three-pointer to push the lead to 65-54 at the 7:02-mark and highlighted a 12-5 run by Cal U run that saw the Vulcans connect on five-of-seven shots. The Vulcans then limited The Rock to just 4-of-15 shooting during the game's final seven minutes.
Cal U finished the game shooting 50.9 percent (28-of-55) from the floor, including 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from beyond the arc, and 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Slippery Rock shot 39.1 percent (25-of-64) from the field and connected at a 40.0 clip (4-of-10) from three-point range. The Rock out-rebounded the Vulcans by a 39-31 margin, including a decisive 17-9 edge in offensive rebounds which led to 16 second-chance points.
Slippery Rock senior D'Asia Chambers scored a game-high 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting and also totaled eight rebounds and two steals.
The Vulcans return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 28, when they travel to face Mercyhurst in Erie, Pennsylvania, at 5:30 p.m.
