ERIE, Pa. (Feb. 22) – In a late-season meeting of regionally-ranked teams, the No. 3 Vulcans suffered a 78-72 road loss to Mercyhurst on Wednesday evening in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.
With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team falls to 25-2 this season behind a 19-2 mark in league action. The loss snapped a 14-game winning streak for the Vulcans, whose only other loss this season was on Dec. 30 – also on the road. Cal U now holds a one-game lead over IUP for first place in the PSAC West standings with the teams facing each other on the final day of the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 25. Meanwhile, the Lakers improve to 21-6 overall with a 16-5 record in league play.
Senior
Miki Glenn (Bridgeport, W.Va./Bridgeport) scored a game-high 29 points behind 10-of-14 from the free-throw line. She also totaled six rebounds, seven assists and five steals while playing 40 minutes for the 10th time this season. Glenn became only the fourth player in school history (Sara McKinney, Brooque Williams, Kayla Smith) to score over 500 points in a season three times during a career.
Junior forward
Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) recorded a double-double in the loss, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds. She shot 7-of-13 from the floor on Wednesday and collected two blocks and two steals. Classmate
Shatara Parsons (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) scored 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting and added five rebounds and three blocks against the Lakers. The remainder of the team was limited to just eight points.
The Lakers scored the initial seven points of the game before the Vulcans made their first basket with 5:47 left in the first quarter. After Cal U cut the deficit to three points, Mercyhurst responded by scoring seven-straight points to take a 16-6 lead with 9:47 remaining before halftime. The Vulcans then mounted a 12-2 run over nearly three minutes to tie the score at 18-18 on a free-throw with 7:05 left in the second quarter. Cal U took its only lead of the contest on a jumper by sophomore
Morgan Jennings (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg) at the 5:48-mark in the quarter. The Lakers then responded with a 16-2 run to close the first half, as the Vulcans made just one-of-eight from the floor during that span.
Cal U opened the third quarter on a 13-2 rally to work the deficit down to 38-37 with 5:37 left in the third quarter. Glenn and Parsons combined to score 11 points during the run, as the Lakers were held to one-of-eight from the field. Mercyhurst countered with a 10-4 run over almost three minutes to stretch the lead to 50-41 with 2:21 remaining in the quarter. The Vulcans eventually trimmed the deficit to 61-56 on a layup by Parsons with 7:02 left in the fourth quarter before the Lakers scored six-straight points to reclaim a double-digit lead at 67-56 at the 5:39-mark. Cal U later worked the deficit to four points, 72-68, on a three-pointer by Glenn with 1:08 left to play before Mercyhurst sealed the win by making six free-throws in the final minute.
The Vulcans were limited to just eight field goals in the first half before finishing the game shooting 37.9 percent (25-of-66) from the floor. Meanwhile, the Lakers shot at a 41.9 clip (26-of-62) from the field and converted 77.4 percent (24-of-31) from the free-throw line. Mercyhurst held a 45-39 rebounding advantage and finished with a 27-5 edge in bench points.
Mercyhurst senior Natalie Piaggesi scored a team-high 28 points on 11-of-16 from the floor and added eight rebounds and three blocks. Classmate Angela Heintz registered a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, plus nine assists, while sophomore Emilee Norris posted 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
The Vulcans close the regular season on Saturday when they host IUP on Senior Day with tipoff at 3 p.m.
