ERIE, Pa. (Jan. 20) – The No. 14 California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team was held to its lowest shooting percentage in five seasons on Saturday afternoon in a 61-53 loss at Mercyhurst in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.
With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 16-3 this season with an 11-2 record in league action. Cal U has lost its last two meetings at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center after winning the previous 17 overall meetings against Mercyhurst since it joined the PSAC. Meanwhile, the Lakers improve to 7-11 overall with a 5-7 mark in conference play.
Junior
Mia Cushon (Raytown, Mo./Raytown South) recorded her fourth double-double of the season in the loss. She finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds (eight offensive) and two steals while playing all 40 minutes. Cushon is now averaging 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals over the last eight games.
Senior
Shatara Parsons (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) led the team with 19 points behind 9-of-11 from the free-throw line. She also added five rebounds and three blocks despite battling foul trouble in the first half. Sophomore
DJ Hahn (Warren, Pa./Warren) finished with 10 points while making her first since start Jan. 3.
The Lakers scored the opening five points of the game before the Vulcans made their initial field goal at the 7:08-mark of the first quarter. Cal U would mount an 11-4 run to take an 11-9 lead on a three-point play by Cushon with 1:13 left in the quarter. Mercyhurst countered with seven-straight points to reclaim the lead at 16-11 with 8:46 remaining before halftime. The teams traded points for the next six minutes before the Vulcans scored the last six points of the second quarter to enter the break with a 23-22 lead.
The teams traded points for the opening five minutes of the third quarter before the Lakers opened up a 42-31 lead behind 12-unanswered points. Cal U snapped a drought of six-plus minutes without a field goal on a layup by Parsons at the 9:30-mark in the fourth quarter. The Vulcans later mounted a 10-2 rally to cut the deficit to 48-44 on a layup by Cushon with 4:08 left to play. However, Cal U made its last field goal of the game at the 3:42-mark and Mercyhurst sealed the victory by going 7-of-10 from the free-throw line in the final two minutes.
The Vulcans shot just 29.0 percent (18-of-62) from the floor and were 1-of-11 (9.1 percent) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Lakers made 40.7 percent (24-of-59) from the field and converted 10-of-13 from the free-throw line (76.9 percent). Mercyhurst held a sizeable 48-34 rebounding advantage behind 20 offensive rebounds, while Cal U scored 24 points off turnovers.
Freshman Emily Shopene scored a team-high 18 points while playing all 40 minutes. Junior Emilee Norris tallied a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds (four offensive), while sophomore Lauren Lapertosa added nine points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Cal U returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 24, when it travels to face Clarion at 5:30 p.m.
