PEPPER PIKE, Ohio (Nov. 27) – Behind a double-double from senior guard
Miki Glenn (Bridgeport, W.Va./Bridgeport), the No. 5 California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team held off preseason Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) favorite Ursuline to earn an 82-73 road win in non-conference play on Sunday afternoon.
With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 7-0 this season while playing their first game decided by single digits. Meanwhile, the Arrows fall to 4-2 overall after winning the G-MAC Tournament last year.
Glenn finished with 18 points and set a season high with 11 assists in the victory. She made 6-of-11 attempts from the floor and went six-of-eight from the free-throw line on Sunday. Glenn, who now has seven career double-doubles, also totaled seven rebounds and two steals while playing all 40 minutes at Ursuline.
Junior
Shatara Parsons (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) led the team with 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting while making her first start in over two weeks. She also collected five rebounds before fouling out after playing 28 minutes. Fellow junior
Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) scored 18 points after going 9-of-13 from the field and added six rebounds and three assists in just 22 minutes.
Redshirt senior
Lana Doran (Northamptonshire, England/Barking Abbey) finished with 10 points, three rebounds and five assists in the victory. Sophomore
Abbey Sporio (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) tallied nine points, three rebounds, three assists and six steals off the bench.
Ursuline made jumpers on consecutive possessions midway through the fourth quarter to cut the Cal U lead to 68-67 with only 4:44 left to play. The Vulcans ended a nearly two-minute scoreless drought at the 3:39-mark on a jumper by Sporio that sparked a 6-0 run to give Cal U a 74-67 lead with 2:09 remaining. The Arrows trimmed the deficit to 75-71 with 1:29 left to play before Barrett scored back-to-back baskets to extend the lead to 79-71 with just 43 seconds remaining. Following a layup by Ursuline, Glenn sealed the victory making three free-throws in the final 13 seconds.
Cal U, which led the entire first half, opened the game on a 10-3 run before Ursuline later answered with six-straight points to cut the deficit to 12-11 with 3:32 left in the first quarter. The teams traded points for the remainder of the quarter with the Vulcans holding a 17-15 lead entering the second quarter. Parsons scored four-straight points early in the quarter to give Cal U a 22-17 lead with 7:39 remaining before halftime. The Arrows responded by cutting the lead to one point before the Vulcans answered with six-unanswered points to take a 30-23 lead with 3:27 left in the second quarter. Ursuline countered with a 6-0 run of its own before Cal U took a 32-29 lead at halftime following a last-second lay-up by Sporio.
The teams traded points in the opening minutes of the third quarter before the Arrows scored four-straight points to take their first lead of the game at 41-40 with 6:26 left in the quarter. Ursuline later mounted an 8-2 run over nearly two minute to stretch the lead to 49-46 at the 3:40-mark. The Vulcans responded with a 9-2 rally to reclaim the lead at 57-53 on a jumper by Glenn with 1:32 remaining in the third quarter. Cal U eventually took a 60-55 lead at the end of the quarter and held the lead for the remainder of the game.
The Vulcans made over 50 percent from the field in the second half and finished the game shooting 47.3 percent (35-of-74) from the floor. Meanwhile, the Arrows posted a .453 field-goal percentage (29-of-64) in the loss despite making nearly 60 percent after in the second half. Both teams finished with 37 rebounds in the contest, while Cal U forced 19 turnovers that led to 26 points off turnovers.
Junior Laney Lewis, who is the reigning G-MAC Player of the Year, registered a double-double after finishing with game highs of 28 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Natalie Koenig added 17 points while playing 21 minutes in the losing effort.
Cal U returns to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover play this weekend with home games on back-to-back days, starting Saturday, Dec. 3, against Cheyney at 1 p.m.
