JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (Jan. 11) – The No. 8 California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team allowed just six points in the second quarter on Wednesday evening while registering a 78-57 victory at Pitt-Johnstown in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.
With the win, the Vulcans stand at 15-1 this season behind a 9-1 mark in league play. Cal U also improves to 8-1 in road games this year. Meanwhile, the Lady Cats have now lost eight-straight games and fall to 6-10 overall with a 2-8 mark in conference action.
Junior forward
Shatara Parsons (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) recorded her first double-double of the year after setting seasons highs with 22 points and 10 rebounds (eight offensive). She shot 7-of-19 from the floor and made 8-of-11 from the free-throw line at UPJ on Wednesday. Parsons, who has posted consecutive 20-point games, also tallied two assists, two blocks and three steals in the victory.
Senior
Miki Glenn (Bridgeport, W.Va./Bridgeport) finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals while playing all 40 minutes. Sophomore
Abbey Sporio (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) tallied 14 points, four rebounds and five steals in her second start of the season, while senior
Precious Martin (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) added 12 points, two blocks and three steals. Fellow senior
Lana Doran (Northamptonshire, England/Barking Abbey) posted eight points, seven rebounds, three assists and four steals on Wednesday.
Cal U made just three of its opening 14 shots in the game, as UPJ held a slim 11-10 lead with 1:07 left in the first quarter despite committing 10 turnovers. The Vulcans then made their last two shots of the quarter to take a 15-13 lead before scoring the opening four points of the second quarter. Cal U later scored 17-unanswered points to stretch the lead to 37-17 with 1:35 left before halftime. During the run, the Lady Cats missed all five of their shots and committed five turnovers, while the trio of Glenn, Parsons and Sporio accounted for all 17 points. UPJ snapped a six-minute scoreless drought with only its third field goal of the quarter with 26 seconds left, as Cal U took a 37-19 lead at halftime.
Early in the third quarter, the Lady Cats mounted a 12-3 run to cut the deficit to 42-31 with 5:19 left to play. Cal U managed to shoot just one-of-eight from floor during the run that lasted 4:30 minutes. The Vulcans then countered with seven-straight points to spark a 12-4 rally to stretch the lead back to 19 points, 54-35, with 1:42 remaining in the third quarter. Cal U eventually held a 58-39 at the end of the quarter before UPJ worked the deficit down to 14 points, 64-50, with 6:13 left to play. Glenn then rallied off seven-consecutive points to give the Vulcans their largest lead of the game at 71-50 at the 4:43-mark. UPJ countered with seven-unanswered points before Cal U closed the game on a 7-0 run to earn the 78-57 victory.
Cal U shot over 45 percent in the second half and finished the game shooting 42.6 percent (29-of-68) from the field. The Vulcans also made 70.8 percent (17-of-24) from the free-throw line on Wednesday. Meanwhile, UPJ converted 40.0 percent (22-of-55) from the floor and 90.9 percent (10-of-11) from the charity stripe. The Lady Cats held a slim 39-37 rebounding advantage, while the Vulcans scored 22 second-chance points. Cal U forced 30 turnovers in the victory that were converted into 33 points.
UPJ senior Jamie Tabon led the team with 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting and added nine rebounds and two blocks. Sophomore Victoria Moreland finished with 12 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
The Vulcans return to action on Saturday, Jan. 14, when they host Seton Hill at the Convocation Center with tipoff at 3 p.m.
