CALIFORNIA (Feb. 24) – The No. 24 California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team secured the third seed in the upcoming league tournament on Saturday afternoon with a 73-50 win over Clarion in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action on Senior Day at the Convocation Center.
With the victory, the Vulcans close the regular season with a 23-5 overall record and an 18-4 mark in league play. Cal U will now host sixth-seeded Slippery Rock in the first round of the PSAC Tournament on Monday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles finish the year with a 7-21 mark behind a 2-20 record in conference action.
Senior
Shatara Parsons (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) scored a game-high 31 points after shooting 13-of-24 from the floor and collected 10 rebounds (seven offensive) for her ninth double-double of the year. She also added two blocks and two steals while playing 38 minutes on Saturday. Parsons became the first player since Brooque Williams in the 2009-10 campaign to score at least 600 points in a single-season.
Junior
Jiahna Flood-Francis (Pittsburgh, Pa./West Mifflin) totaled 13 points, eight rebounds (four offensive) and four assists in the victory. Sophomore
DJ Hahn (Warren, Pa./Warren) added 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks, while junior
Abbey Sporio (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) registered eight points, six rebounds, four assists and five steals while playing all 40 minutes. Sophomore
Gina Vallecorsa (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) scored 10 points and added three rebounds off the bench.
The Vulcans mounted an 8-3 run midway through the first quarter to take an 11-8 lead on a jumper by Hahn at the 5:42-mark. Following a basket by Clarion, Cal U scored eight of next nine points to stretch the lead to 19-11 on a layup by Flood-Francis with 2:12 left in the first quarter. The Golden Eagles countered with a 7-3 run to trim the deficit to 22-18 with 8:26 remaining before halftime. Cal U responded with a 17-6 rally over six-plus minutes, all 17 points by Parsons and Vallecorsa, to take a 39-24 lead with 1:55 left in the second quarter. Flood-Francis later made a jumper in the closing seconds of the first half to give the Vulcans a 41-29 lead at the break.
Cal U opened the third quarter with a 9-3 run, all nine points by Parsons, to take a 50-32 lead at the 6:04-mark. After a pair of free-throws by the Golden Eagles, the Vulcans took their largest lead of the game at 23 points, 60-37, behind a 10-3 run capped by a layup from Sporio. Clarion then scored nine-unanswered points to trim the deficit to 60-46 with 8:56 left in the fourth quarter. The Vulcans sealed the victory with a 13-4 run over the last six minutes after shooting 6-of-10 from the floor.
The Vulcans made 45.7 percent (32-of-70) from the floor after shooting at least 50 percent in both the first and third quarter. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles converted 31.6 percent (18-of-57) from the field and made 78.6 percent (11-of-14) from the free-throw line. Cal U held a 43-40 rebounding margin and scored 40 points in the paint. The Vulcans also forced 17 turnovers and recorded 26 points off turnovers in the victory.
Senior Amesha Harden-Pullium scored a team-high 20 points on 8-of-21 shooting and collected six rebounds. Sophomore Tynita White finished with 10 points and six rebounds in the losing effort, while freshman Yasmin Lewis added 10 rebounds.
Cal U opens play in the PSAC Tournament on Monday when it hosts Slippery Rock in the Convocation Center at 7 p.m.
