CALIFORNIA (Feb. 21) – Behind a 30-point performance by senior
Shatara Parsons (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), the No. 24 Vulcans earned a 68-54 victory against Seton Hill at the Convocation Center on Wednesday evening in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.
With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team improves 22-5 overall behind a 17-4 mark in league action. The Vulcans, which remained sixth in the latest NCAA regional rankings on Wednesday, are 1.0-game back of Edinboro for second place in the divisional standings entering the last weekend of the regular season. Meanwhile, the Griffins, which continued to sit eighth in the regional rankings, fall to 19-8 this season with a 14-7 record in conference play.
Parsons finished with 30 points after shooting 13-of-21 from the floor and also recorded a double-double on Wednesday with 10 rebounds (six offensive). She added two assists, three steals and six blocks while playing 39 minutes in the victory. Parsons has scored at least 30 points in four games this season and has tallied eight double-doubles as a senior.
Junior
Mia Cushon (Raytown, Mo./Raytown South) added 12 points on six-of-nine attempts and finished with six rebounds and four steals in only 23 minutes. Sophomore
DJ Hahn (Warren, Pa./Warren) scored 11 points and collected eight rebounds, while junior
Abbey Sporio (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) totaled nine rebounds (four offensive), three assists and three steals in the win.
The Vulcans scored the opening three baskets of the game as the Griffins were held without a field goal for nearly four minutes. Cal U later mounted an 11-2 run over almost four minutes in the first quarter to build a 19-6 lead with 35 seconds left. The teams traded baskets for the duration of the second quarter, as only once did a team score back-to-back baskets. Cal U took a 37-28 lead into the break behind 21 points off turnovers.
Cal U built the lead to 13 points, 43-30, in the early minutes of the third quarter before Seton Hill worked the deficit down to 49-42 at the 2:49-mark. The Vulcans countered with 10-unasnwered points, all by Parsons and Sporio, to take a 59-42 lead with 8:11 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Griffins answered with an 11-5 run to cut the deficit to 64-53 at the 3:40-mark, however, they were held without a field goal for the remainder of the game.
The Vulcans shot over 50 percent in the first half before finishing the game with a .462 field-goal percentage (30-of-65). Meanwhile, the Griffins made 36.4 percent (20-of-55) from the floor and converted 8-of-21 (38.1 percent) from three-point territory. Cal U held a 42-34 rebounding advantage and scored 40 points inside the paint. The Vulcans also totaled 31 points off turnovers on Wednesday after forcing 23 turnovers.
Seton Hill senior Alexandra Hay scored a team-high 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including three-of-seven from beyond the arc, and added five rebounds and four assists. Freshman Cheyenne Trest collected 13 points, while senior Jenna Kaufman finished with nine points, nine rebounds and three steals.
Cal U closes out the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 24, when it hosts Clarion for Senior Day at 1 p.m.
