CALIFORNIA (Dec. 17) – The No. 11 Vulcans boasted four players scoring in double-digits on Sunday afternoon in an 80-59 win over District of Columbia in non-conference play at Hamer Hall.
With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team improves to 9-1 overall behind a 4-0 mark at home. The Vulcans faced the Firebirds for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign when UDC was still competing as an independent program. Meanwhile, UDC falls to 2-8 this season after losing its seventh-straight game.
Senior
Shatara Parsons (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) scored a game-high 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting and seven-of-nine from the free-throw line. She also added nine rebounds (five offensive), three assists and three steals while playing 30 minutes. Parsons continues to lead the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in scoring at 23.0 points per game after tallying her seventh 20-point game of the season.
Junior
Mia Cushon (Raytown, Mo./Raytown South) finished with 19 points after making 7-of-14 from the floor and five-of-five from the free-throw line. She also collected nine rebounds and three steals in 30 minutes on Sunday. Freshman
Bianca Jasper (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) scored a season-high 11 points and added four rebounds, three assists and two steals off the bench. Junior
Abbey Sporio (Elizabeth, Pa. /Elizabeth Forward) recorded 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and four steals in the win while playing 21 minutes off the bench.
The Vulcans opened the game on an 8-2 run before the Firebirds worked the deficit down to 14-11 with 3:14 left in the first quarter. Cal U responded with 10-unanswered points to take a 24-11 lead on a layup by Sporio with 9:08 remaining in the second quarter. The Firebirds snapped a four-plus minute scoreless streak on the next possession before the Vulcans countered with a 10-2 rally to take a 34-15 lead on another layup from Sporio with 5:52 left before halftime. UDC was able cut the deficit to 42-29 at the break after going five-of-eight from the floor over the last five-plus minutes.
Cal U scored the initial six points of the third quarter to stretch the lead to 48-29 before UDC mounted an 8-2 run to make it a 50-37 contest at the 4:36-mark. The Vulcans then sealed the victory with a 15-8 run after making five-of-six from the floor to stretch the lead to 65-45 with 9:28 left to play. Cal U would score seven-unanswered points midway through the fourth quarter before finishing with an 80-59 victory.
Freshman Daeja Quick scored a team-leading 19 points for the Firebirds and collected four rebounds and four assists in the loss. Classmate Danielle Harrington added eight points and six rebounds, while sophomore Tyra Coombs finished eight points and five rebounds.
Cal U shot 48.4 percent (30-of-62) from the floor and converted 85.7 percent (18-of-21) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Firebirds made 23-of-53 (43.4 percent) from the field and went 11-of-18 (61.1 percent) from the charity stripe. The Vulcans held a 37-30 rebounding advantage and forced 25 turnovers in the contest.
The Vulcans return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 19, when they host West Virginia State in the Convocation Center at 2 p.m.
