CALIFORNIA (Nov. 11) – The California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team surrendered just five points in the fourth quarter on Sunday afternoon while claiming a 70-53 win over Charleston (W.Va.) at the Convocation Center as part of the MEC/PSAC Conference Challenge.
With the victory, the Vulcans move to 2-0 to start the season with both games being decided by over 15 points. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles fall to 1-1 overall under first-year head coach Becky Burke.
Redshirt senior
Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) scored a game-high 34 points on 12-of-22 from the floor and 10-of-14 from the free-throw line. She also tallied six rebounds, three assists and four steals while playing all 40 minutes. Barrett averaged 37.5 points while shooting 53.4 percent (31-of-58) from the floor in two games at the home tipoff event.
Junior
Gina Vallecorsa (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) finished with 11 points and six rebounds, while sophomore
Bianca Jasper (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) tallied eight points, five rebounds, six assists and two steals in the victory. Junior
DJ Hahn (Warren, Pa./Warren) added eight points, four rebounds and two steals in 27 minutes off the bench on Sunday.
The Golden Eagles opened the game on a 12-3 run, as the Vulcans shot just one-of-six from the floor and committed five turnovers in the opening five-plus minutes. Cal U responded with nine-unanswered points, all by Barrett and Jasper, to tie the score at 12-12 with 2:17 left in the quarter. Charleston made a free-throw in the final minute before stretching the lead to 21-16 at the 5:15-mark of the second quarter. The Vulcans responded with a 10-4 run, including three-pointers by both Hahn and Vallecorsa, to reclaim the lead at 26-25 with 2:53 left before halftime. The Golden Eagles scored five of the last seven points before the break to take a 30-28 lead at the end of the second quarter.
Both teams were held scoreless for over the initial two minutes of the third quarter before Charleston stretched the lead to 36-30 at the 6:42-mark. The Golden Eagles later scored seven of nine points to take a 45-37 lead before the Vulcans cut the deficit to 48-43 at the end of the third quarter. Cal U scored the opening eight points of the fourth quarter to reclaim the lead at 51-48 on a layup by Vallecorsa at the 7:59-mark. Following a layup by the Golden Eagles, the Vulcans scored 13-unanswered points behind a trio of three-pointers to seize a 64-50 lead with 1:31 left to play. Cal U later stretched its lead to as many as 17 points, 70-53, with a pair of late free-throws by Barrett.
The Vulcans finished the game shooting 44.1 percent (26-of-59) from the floor, including 7-of-18 (38.9 percent) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles made 38.5 percent (20-of-52) from the field and shot just one-of-eight from long range. Charleston held a 37-31 rebounding advantage, while Cal U forced 27 turnovers and scored 29 points off turnovers.
Senior Raziyah Farrington, a NCAA Division I transfer from Western Carolina, scored 24 points after going 10-of-21 from the floor and led the team with eight rebounds. Junior Anna Hayton finished with 10 points and five rebounds in the losing effort.
Cal U returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 14, when it travels to face Shepherd at 5:30 p.m.
