INDIANA, Pa. (Dec. 16) – The No. 13 California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team had its seven-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday evening with a 78-72 loss to IUP at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.
With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 8-2 this season with a 6-1 mark in divisional action. Cal U had won the previous four meetings against IUP since being swept in the season series during the 2012-13 campaign. Meanwhile, the Crimson Hawks improve to 8-3 this season behind a 5-2 record in league play.
Junior guard
Miki Glenn (Bridgeport, W.Va./Bridgeport) scored a game-high 22 points on 9-of-23 shooting while playing all 40 minutes. She also posted four rebounds, four assists and two steals on Wednesday. Glenn has scored at least 20 points five times this season, while also averaging nearly six assists per game.
Sophomore
Shatara Parsons (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) tallied a double-double for the third time this season, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds (four offensive), plus three blocks. Junior
Precious Martin (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) also posted a double-double against the Crimson Hawks after posting 13 points and 10 rebounds (seven offensive). Senior
Paige Wright (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) added 10 points behind three three-pointers and also collected four assists.
The Vulcans missed their opening five shots of the game before a layup by Parsons with 5:24 left in the first quarter. The teams traded baskets throughout the remainder of the quarter when the teams combined for a staggering eight blocks. Wright made a three-pointer in the closing seconds of the first quarter to give the Vulcans the largest lead of the quarter at 18-14. IUP made the initial two baskets of the second quarter to tie the score at 18-18 before a layup by Parsons with 6:30 left before halftime. The Vulcans stretched the lead to as many as five points on a layup by sophomore
Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) with 2:29 remaining in the second quarter before she was momentarily whistled for a technical foul, which started a 6-0 run by IUP that gave the Crimson Hawks a 35-34 lead at the break.
IUP made three-unanswered baskets early in the third quarter to stretch the lead to 41-34 before a basket by Glenn with 7:31 remaining in the quarter. The Crimson Hawks continued to stretch the lead behind a 16-4 run, including 10-straight points, over the next four-plus minutes to take a 57-40 lead with 2:55 left in the third quarter. The Vulcans scored the next four points to trim the deficit to 57-44 at the end of the quarter. IUP increased its lead to as many as 17 points, 65-48, with just under seven minutes left to play before Cal U posted a 12-2 run to work the deficit down to 67-60 on a traditional three-point play by Barrett with 2:40 remaining. The Vulcans later cut the score to 73-68 following another three-point play, this time by Martin, with 16 seconds left to play.
The Vulcans finished the game shooting 34.4 percent (24-of-70) from the floor, including just 5-of-18 (27.8 percent) from beyond arc. Meanwhile, the Crimson Hawks finished at a 47.5 clip (28-of-59) from the floor and attempted only five three-pointers. IUP finished with a slim 39-38 rebounding advantage, while the teams combined for only 20 turnovers.
Sophomore Megan Smith recorded a double-double for IUP with team highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Marina Wareham finished with 17 points, four rebounds, and five assists, while senior Leslie Stapleton added 15 points on six-of-nine shooting.
Cal U is idle for the remainder of 2015 before resuming play on Jan. 3 when it travels to face East Stroudsburg in PSAC Crossover play at 1 p.m.
