ERIE, Pa. (Jan. 3) – Senior guard
Miki Glenn (Bridgeport, W.Va./Bridgeport) scored a season-high 29 points on Tuesday evening, as the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team claimed an 87-56 win over Gannon at the Hammermill Center in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.
With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 12-1 this season behind a 6-1 mark in league action. The 31-point margin of victory is the largest in the series since Gannon joined the PSAC in the 2008-09 campaign. Meanwhile, the Lady Knights falls to 3-10 this year with a 3-4 record in conference play.
Glenn finished with 29 points (23 first half) after shooting 11-of-18 from the floor, including three-of-seven from beyond the arc. She added three rebounds, nine assists, one block and two steals while playing 38 minutes in the win. Glenn has now scored at least 20 points six times this year and made three treys in a game for the sixth time in her career.
Junior
Shatara Parsons (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) scored 15 points on seven-of-nine from the field and added seven rebounds. Classmate
Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) tallied 13 points, three rebounds, three assists and eight steals against Gannon, while sophomore
Abbey Sporio (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) finished with 11 points and three rebounds off the bench.
Gannon scored the opening basket of the game before Cal U answered with 10-straight points to take a 10-2 lead on a three-pointer by Glenn with 7:10 left in the first quarter. The teams traded points for the next six-plus minutes with the Lady Knights cutting the deficit to as few as four points before Glenn gave the Vulcans a 21-12 lead at the end of the quarter. Cal U mounted a 10-2 run early in the second quarter to stretch its lead to 31-15 on a layup by Sporio with 3:41 remaining before the break. The Vulcans later led by as many as 18 points in the first half, 36-18, on a three-pointer by Sporio before ending the second quarter with a 38-24 lead.
The Vulcans started the third quarter on a 10-4 run to stretch their lead to 48-28 on back-to-back layups from Glenn and Sporio. Gannon worked the deficit down to 15 points before Cal U countered by scoring nine-straight points – all by Barrett and senior
Lana Doran (Northamptonshire, England/Barking Abbey) – to take a 60-36 lead at the 1:12-mark in the quarter. The Vulcans eventually held a 62-38 lead at the end of the third quarter before the teams traded points in the opening three-plus minutes of the fourth. Cal U then took its largest lead of the game at 33 points, 82-49, with 4:22 left to play after Barrett and Parsons combined for 10 points during a 12-3 rally.
Cal U shot at least 50 percent in each half and finished the game making 53.0 percent (35-of-66) from the floor. The Vulcans also converted 6-of-11 from long range (54.5 percent) and went 11-of-13 from the free-throw line (84.6 percent). Meanwhile, Gannon shot at a 45.8 clip (22-of-48) from the field and 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from the charity stripe. The Vulcans finished with a 36-25 rebounding advantage and scored 48 points from inside the paints, while also forcing 27 turnovers on Tuesday.
Junior Maggie Mitchell was the only player for the Lady Knights to score in double-digits, finishing with 16 points and six assists. Sophomore Nicole LaCava tallied seven points, three rebounds, two blocks and one steal in the loss.
Cal U closes its road trip and PSAC Crossover play on Friday, Jan. 6, when it travels to face West Chester at 5:30 p.m.
