CALIFORNIA (Jan. 27) – The California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team moved into a tie for first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West standings on Wednesday evening with a 57-44 victory against IUP in divisional play at the Convocation Center.
With the win, the Vulcans improve to 13-5 this season behind an 8-1 mark at home. Cal U now sits tied with Gannon and IUP for first place in the league standings with an 11-4 record in conference action. Meanwhile, IUP falls to 14-5 overall after winning nine of its previous 10 games. The game was broadcasted live on ESPN3 as the NCAA Division II Basketball Game of the Week.
Sophomore forward Shatara Parson (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) recorded her sixth double-double this season, leading the team with 15 points and 10 rebounds (five offensive). She shot 6-of-12 from the floor and also tallied a pair of blocks while playing 33 minutes. Parsons has now scored in double digits eight times this year, including six times since moving into the starting lineup in mid-December.
Junior
Miki Glenn (Bridgeport, W.Va./Bridgeport) posted 14 points on 7-of-17 shooting and added five rebounds, four assists and two steals against the Crimson Hawks. Classmate
Precious Martin (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) added 13 points, five rebounds and two steals in the victory.
The Vulcans limited the Crimson Hawks to only one field goal in the opening three-plus minutes of the game before IUP mounted a 10-4 run to take a 12-10 lead with 2:17 left in the first quarter. Cal U reclaimed the lead on back-to-back baskets by Glenn before the Crimson Hawks countered with a three-pointer to take a 15-14 at the end of the first quarter.
Cal U was held scoreless for over two minutes to start the second quarter before engineering a 15-4 rally over nearly eight minutes to take a 29-21 lead on a jumper by Parsons with 1:04 left before halftime. During the run, the Crimson Hawks shot just 2-of-10 from the floor and committed five turnovers. IUP scored five-straight points before Glenn made a jumper just before the buzzer, as Cal U took a 31-26 lead at halftime.
The Vulcans opened the second half on 15-6 run behind a combined 13 points from Parsons and senior
Paige Wright (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) to stretch the lead to 46-32 following a trey by Wright with 5:37 left in the third quarter. Cal U scored the final five points of the quarter to increase its lead to a 53-36 lead following a three-point play by Martin in the closing seconds.
The teams combined for only 12 points and five field goals in the fourth quarter on Wednesday. The Crimson Hawks made a pair of three-pointers in a span of 63 seconds to cut the deficit to 55-44 at the 3:46-mark before being held scoreless for the remainder of the game. Cal U sealed the victory on a jumper by Glenn in the final minute of play.
Cal U finished the game shooting 39.0 percent from the floor (23-of-59) and 76.9 percent (10-of-13) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, IUP shot at a 34.0 clip (17-of-60) from the field with only seven field goals in the second half and converted just 50.0 percent (6-of-15) from the charity stripe. The Crimson Hawks held a 39-36 rebound advantage, while the Vulcans forced 21 turnovers that were converted into 20 points.
Senior Leslie Stapleton was the lone IUP player to score in double-digits, finishing with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting with four three-pointers. Senior Zhane Brooks posted nine points and six rebounds, while classmate Alexis Akien led the team with seven rebounds off the bench.
The Vulcans return to action on Saturday, Jan. 30, when they travel to face Clarion at 5:30 p.m.
