CALIFORNIA (Jan. 21) – Redshirt senior
Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) moved into sixth place on the school's all-time scoring list on Monday afternoon, as the No. 15 California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team posted a 66-59 win over Seton Hill in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action at the Convocation Center.
With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 15-1 this season behind a 9-1 mark in league play. Cal U, which extended its winning streak to five games, now holds a three-game lead over Edinboro and Slippery Rock for second place in the PSAC West standings. Meanwhile, the Griffins fall to 11-6 overall with a 5-5 record in conference action.
Barrett finished with 23 points on 9-of-17 from the floor and five-of six from the free-throw line. She also set a season high with 16 rebounds (eight offensive) and added three assists and three steals while playing all 40 minutes. Barrett recorded her fifth double-double this season on Monday, as she surpassed Sameera Philyaw (2001-04) for sixth place on the school's career scoring list with 1,660 points.
Freshman
Shauna Harrison (Sheffield, England/Myerscough) posted her first career double-double against Seton Hill, tallying 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds (seven offensive) in 23 minutes off the bench. Senior
Jiahna Flood-Francis (Pittsburgh, Pa./West Mifflin) finished with 17 points, four rebounds and three assists on Monday.
Seton Hill mounted an 8-3 run in the first quarter to build a 12-6 lead at the 5:28-mark. The Vulcans countered with a 7-2 rally to trim the deficit to 14-13 with 1:33 left in the quarter. Following a free-throw by Seton Hill, Cal U responded with 11-unanswered points to seize a 24-15 lead following a three-point play by freshman
Lauren Bennett (Buckhannon, W.Va./Buckhannon-Upshur), who played a season-high 25 minutes, with 5:56 remaining in the second quarter. The Griffins snapped over a 10-minute drought without a field goal on the ensuing possession to spark a 10-3 run that trimmed the deficit to 27-25 with 1:13 left before the break. The teams then traded free-throws before Flood-Francis made a three-pointer and Barrett scored on a putback layup in the closing seconds, as Cal U took a 34-27 lead at halftime.
The Griffins scored the opening seven points of the third quarter and reclaimed the lead at 39-38 at the 6:05-mark following a 12-4 run. The teams later traded runs of six-consecutive points before Seton Hill tied the score at 49-49 on a jumper in the closing seconds of the quarter. Cal U mounted a 9-1 rally early in the fourth quarter with Barrett and Harrison accounting for all nine points to take a 58-52 lead with 5:01 left to play. Barrett later scored four-straight points to build the lead to 62-54 at the 2:34-mark before the Griffins cut the deficit to 62-56 with 1:43 remaining. However, both teams were held scoreless for nearly a minute before Cal U sealed the victory at the free-throw line.
The Vulcans finished the game shooting 36.8 percent (25-of-68) from the floor in the victory. Meanwhile, the Griffins shot at a 41.2 clip (21-of-51) from the field after going 9-of-13 in the third quarter. Cal U held a 43-34 rebounding advantage behind 21 offensive rebounds that led to 21 second-chance points.
Graduate student Megan Marecic, a transfer from Drexel, led all players with 28 points on 8-of-17 shooting while battling foul trouble. Sophomore Katie Nolan posted nine points, three rebounds and three steals off the bench, while classmate Cheyenne Trest collected a team-high 10 rebounds.
Cal U returns to action when it travels to face defending-NCAA regional champion and No. 1 IUP on Wednesday, Jan. 23, at 5:30 p.m.
