LOCK HAVEN, Pa. (Jan. 3) – The No. 23 Vulcans overcame a double-digit, first-half deficit and made seven free-throws in the final minute to extend their winning streak to seven games on Saturday afternoon with a 71-62 victory at Lock Haven in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover play.
With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team improves to 11-1 overall with a 7-0 record in league action. The Vulcans have opened conference play with seven-straight victories for the first time since the 2008-09 season. Meanwhile, the Lady Eagles fall to 3-8 this season behind a 2-5 mark in conference play.
Sophomore guard
Miki Glenn (Bridgeport, W.Va./Bridgeport) led four starters scoring in double figures, finishing with 21 points after converting 12-of-12 from the free-throw line. She has now scored in double-digits in 11-straight games and has registered four 20-point games this season. Glenn also added five rebounds, three assists and two steals in the victory.
Senior
Emma Mahady (Albury, Australia/Xavier) posted 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting and collected five rebounds and three steals. Fellow seniors
Kaitlynn Fratz (Accident, Md./Northern Garrett) and
Irina Kukolj (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) each added 12 points in the victory, while Fratz also tallied four rebounds and three steals on Saturday.
Lock Haven posted a 13-2 run over six-plus minutes early in the game to take a 17-6 lead with 11:52 left in the first half. The Vulcans scored 10-straight points to cut the deficit to 17-16 before the Lady Eagles scored back-to-back baskets to take a 21-16 lead with 8:15 left before halftime. Cal U later tied the game at 23-23 on a three-pointer by Mahady at the 6:06-mark before Lock Haven reclaimed the lead on its next possession with a free-throw. The Vulcans then scored another 10-unanswered points to take a 33-24 lead on a layup by Glenn with 3:38 left in the first half. Lock Haven scored five of the last seven points of the first half, including a traditional three-point play at the 1:39-mark, as Cal U took a 37-31 lead into halftime.
The Lady Eagles scored the initial six points of the second half to tie the score at 37-37 before the Vulcans mounted a 7-2 run to take a 44-39 lead on a pair of free-throws by Fratz with 16:10 remaining. Lock Haven later scored six of eight points to trim the deficit to 52-50 before Cal U rallied with a 10-4 rally over five-plus minutes to take a 62-54 lead on a jumper by Mahady at the 4:53-mark. The Lady Eagles answered with a 7-2 run to cut the lead to 64-61 on a jumper with 1:44 left to play. Cal U snapped a three-plus minute scoreless drought when Glenn made a pair of free-throws with 55 seconds remaining. The Vulcans sealed the victory by making seven-of-eight from the charity stripe in the final minute and the Lady Eagles missed their final four shot attempts.
Cal U finished the game shooting 41.2 percent (21-of-51) from the field and made a season-best 88.5 percent (23-of-26) from the free-throw line. In comparison, Lock Haven shot a 44.6 clip (25-of-56) from the floor while converting just 52.4 percent (11-of-21) from the charity stripe. The Lady Eagles out-rebounded the Vulcans by a 40-29 margin and scored 38 points from inside the paint.
Lock Haven senior Rachael McDaniel scored a team-high 11 points and registered a game-high eight rebounds (four offensive). Senior Sami Lane and graduate student Emily Daughterty both finished with 10 points in the losing effort.
The Vulcans continue their weekend road trip tomorrow, Sunday, Jan. 4, when they travel to No. 17 Bloomsburg, who was the Atlantic Regional runner-up last season, at 1 p.m.
