CALIFORNIA (Nov. 20) – The No. 25 California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team overcame a 12-point deficit in the first quarter to post a 75-62 win against Central State (Ohio) in non-conference action at the Convocation Center on Tuesday evening.
With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 4-0 this season with all four wins being by double-digits. Meanwhile, the Lady Marauders drop to 2-3 overall after playing a pair of nationally-ranked opponents in the last week. A member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), Central State advanced to the league championship last year and finished the season with 23 victories.
Redshirt senior
Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) scored a game-high 28 points after going 13-of-25 from the floor. She also tallied five rebounds and four steals while playing all 40 minutes on Tuesday. Barrett entered play as the NCAA Division II leader in scoring at 27.7 points per game.
Senior
Jiahna Flood-Francis (Pittsburgh, Pa./West Mifflin) posted 15 points, four rebounds and two assists in the victory. Classmate
Abbey Sporio (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) set season highs with 13 points, six rebounds and five steals versus Central State.
Cal U trailed by one point midway through the first quarter before Central State scored 11-unanswered points after going five-of-seven from the floor to take a 20-8 lead with 41 seconds left in the quarter. The Vulcans snapped a five-minute scoreless drought with a three-pointer by Flood-Francis with eight seconds left before the Lady Marauders scored on a jumper at the buzzer, 22-13. Central State held a double-digit lead early in the second quarter before Cal U mounted an 11-2 run to cut the deficit to 30-29 on a layup by junior
Gina Vallecorsa (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) with 2:41 left before halftime. The Vulcans scored eight of the last 10 points of the second quarter to take a 38-35 lead at the break.
The Vulcans maintained a two-possession lead early in the third quarter before scoring seven-straight points to take a 54-41 lead with 2:35 left. Barrett made a jumper in the closing seconds of the third quarter before going on a 7-2 run to start the fourth quarter, which stretched the lead to 18 points, 63-45, at the 8:07-mark. Central State managed to trim the deficit to 68-57 with 3:48 left in the quarter before Cal U finished with a 75-62 victory.
Cal U finished the game shooting 46.9 percent (30-of-64) from the floor, while going 11-of-18 (61.1 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Central State made 54.3 percent (25-of-46) from the field and attempted just six three-pointers. The Lady Marauders held a 30-29 rebounding advantage, while the Vulcans forced 27 turnovers and scored 28 points off turnovers in the victory.
Senior Chervelle Cox led the Lady Marauders with 14 points on seven-of-eight shooting and collected 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the year. Fellow senior Jaeda Davis posted 13 points and three assists, while sophomore Brooke Spaulding finished with 11 points, five rebounds and three steals.
The Vulcans return to action on Sunday, Nov. 25, when they travel to face West Virginia State in Institute, West Virginia, at 2 p.m.
