SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio (Nov. 11) – Senior
Shatara Parsons (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) scored 28 points and junior transfer
Mia Cushon (Raytown, Mo./Raytown South) registered a double-double on Saturday evening, as the No. 10 California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team earned a 68-61 season-opening win against West Liberty on the opening day of the Mountain East Conference (MEC)/Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Challenge.
With the victory, the Vulcans begin the year at 1-0 for the fifth time under head coach
Jess Strom. Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers fall to 0-1 under first-year head coach Kyle Cooper.
Parsons finished with 28 points after shooting 12-of-21 from the floor and added four rebounds and two blocks. Dating back to last season, she is averaging 19.5 points while shooting 57.5 percent (46-of-80) from the field over her last six games. Parsons has now scored at least 20 points in game 10 times in her career.
Cushon posted a double-double of 12 points and 15 rebounds (six offensive) and added two assists and two steals in her first game with the program. She played the last two seasons at MCC-Penn Valley (Mo.), leading NJCAA Division II in scoring last year.
Sophomore
DJ Hahn (Warren, Pa./Warren) set career highs with 11 points and seven rebounds while playing all 40 minutes in her first career start. Redshirt sophomore
Natalia Casals (Granollers, Spain/Escola Municipal del Treball) finished with seven points, four rebounds, five assists and three steals while playing her first game since Feb. 6, 2016
Cal U opened the game on a 12-2 run after going 6-of-10 from the floor and forcing five turnovers in the initial three-plus minutes of the game. The Vulcans later scored six-unanswered points to stretch the lead to 20-7 on a jumper by junior transfer
Jiahna Flood-Francis (Pittsburgh, Pa./West Mifflin) with 2:13 left in the first quarter. West Liberty scored the final seven points of the quarter to cut the deficit to 20-14 before Cal U snapped a nearly four-minute scoreless streak on a layup by Parsons at the 8:19-mark of the second quarter. Parsons then added another basket before the Hilltoppers mounted an 11-1 rally to tie the score at 25-25 with 2:43 remaining before halftime. Cal U made its first field goal in almost six minutes at the 1:42-mark in the second quarter and eventually took a 29-25 lead into the break.
The Hilltoppers cut the deficit to 30-29 with a three-pointer at the 8:01-mark of the third quarter before Parsons scored four-straight points to give the Vulcans a 34-29 lead with 7:23 left in the quarter. West Liberty later tied the score at 34-34 before taking its first lead of the game on a three-pointer at 3:55-mark in the quarter. The Vulcans responded by scoring 14-unanswered points to take a 52-39 lead on a jumper by Hahn with 9:19 left in the fourth quarter. West Liberty missed all six shots from the floor, including four three-pointers, and committed four turnovers during the run. The Hilltoppers later countered with an 11-2 rally, with all 11 points scored by freshman Audrey Tingle and junior Marissa Brown, to trim the deficit to 54-50 with 6:06 remaining. Cal U stopped the run with a layup by sophomore
Gina Vallecorsa (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) on the next possession before West Liberty worked the deficit to 58-54 at the 3:43-mark. The Vulcans stretched their lead back to as many as eight points, 62-54, before the Hilltoppers cut the deficit to five points multiple times, including with 28 seconds left. Cal U then made a pair of free-throws in the final 22 seconds to seal the victory.
Cal U finished the game shooting 42.9 percent (27-of-63) from the floor despite not making any three-pointers. Meanwhile, West Liberty made 37.7 percent (23-of-61) from the field and converted 8-of-28 attempts (28.6 percent) from beyond the arc. The Vulcans held a 43-38 rebounding advantage that led to 17 second-chance points and tallied 26 points off turnovers.
Brown led West Liberty with 24 points in the losing effort after going 10-of-15 from the floor. Junior Brandi Beader finished with 13 points, while classmate Johnie Olkosky paced the team with 11 rebounds.
The Vulcans continue play at the MEC/PSAC Challenge tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 12, when they face the host Falcons at 4 p.m.
