EDINBORO, Pa. (Jan. 2) – The No. 12 Vulcans, which featured five players scoring in double-digits, raced out to a 12-point lead in the first quarter before suffering a 99-92 loss at defending-league champion Edinboro on Wednesday evening in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.
With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team drops to 10-1 overall with a 4-1 mark in conference action. The Vulcans have now lost five-straight meetings against the Fighting Scots at the McComb Fieldhouse. Meanwhile, Edinboro extends its winning streak to five games and improves to 8-2 this season behind a 4-1 record in league play.
Senior
Abbey Sporio (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) and junior
Gina Vallecorsa (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) tied for the team lead with 18 points. Vallecorsa also tallied seven rebounds (four offensive) and six assists while playing 38 minutes. Sporio set a career high in points after shooting 7-of-11 from the floor while being limited to just seven minutes in the first half due to foul trouble.
Redshirt senior
Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) and senior
Jiahna Flood-Francis (Pittsburgh, Pa./West Mifflin) both finished with 14 points. Barrett led the team with nine rebounds and added three assists, three blocks and two steals while playing all 40 minutes. Freshman
Shauna Harrison (Sheffield, England/Myerscough) added a career-high 12 points on five-of-six shooting in 11 minutes off the bench.
Edinboro scored the initial basket of the game before Cal U responded with a 13-0 run after making five-of-six shots to take a 13-2 lead with 5:41 left in the first quarter. Late in the quarter, the Fighting Scots countered with nine-unanswered points before Vallecorsa converted a three-point play in the closing seconds to give the Vulcans a 23-20 lead at the end of the quarter. Edinboro scored another nine-straight points early in the second quarter to take a 29-25 lead before Cal U snapped a nearly three-minute scoreless drought with a jumper at the 7:19-mark. The Fighting Scots countered with a 9-3 run to stretch the lead to 38-32 with 4:25 left before the break. The teams traded baskets for the closing minutes of the second quarter with Edinboro taking a 48-43 at lead halftime.
The Fighting Scots posted the opening two baskets of the third quarter before the Vulcans answered with a 12-2 run to reclaim the lead at 55-54 on a three-pointer by Flood-Francis at the 6:39-mark. However, Edinboro responded with an 11-2 rally to seize a 65-57 lead with 3:00 left in the quarter. The Fighting Scots made a jumper at the buzzer to take a 72-62 lead at the end of the third quarter. Edinboro stretched the lead to 82-66 early in the fourth quarter before Cal U answered with a 12-2 run over nearly two minutes to cut the deficit to 89-84 with 3:18 left to play. The Vulcans were able to work the deficit to 92-88 with just over two minutes remaining, but were unable to get any closer after the Fighting Scots made a three-pointer and four-of-four free-throws in the final minutes.
Cal U finished the game shooting 48.6 percent (35-of-72) from the floor, including 7-of-17 (41.2 percent) from beyond the arc. The Vulcans also converted 15-of-16 attempts (93.8 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Fighting Scots posted a staggering .607 field-goal percentage (37-of-61) and made 84.2 percent (16-of-19) from the charity stripe. Edinboro held a 35-29 rebounding advantage, while Cal U scored 23 points off turnovers.
Edinboro junior Michaela Barnes paced all players with 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting and added five rebounds and two assists. Classmate Bridgett Shaffer and junior Michelle Jahn both finished with 22 points, while senior Ciara Rosten – the 2018 PSAC West Athlete of the Year – collected 13 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and two blocks while making her first start since Dec. 2.
The Vulcans return to action on Saturday, Jan. 5, when they travel to face Gannon in Erie, Pennsylvania, at 1 p.m.
