ERIE, Pa. (Jan. 5) – The No. 12 California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team responded from its first loss of the season with a 69-55 win over Gannon at the Hammermill Center on Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.
With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 11-1 this season behind a 5-1 mark in league play. Cal U has now won eight-straight meetings against Gannon. Meanwhile, the Lady Knights fall to 6-8 overall after losing six of their last eight games and drop to 2-5 in conference action.
Redshirt senior
Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) scored a game-high 22 points after shooting 8-of-14 from the floor and six-of-six from the free-throw line. She also collected seven rebounds while pacing the team with six assists and five steals in 36 minutes. Barrett continues to lead the team in scoring, rebounding, steals, blocks and minutes this season.
Senior
Jiahna Flood-Francis (Pittsburgh, Pa./West Mifflin) tallied 14 points and sophomore
Bianca Jasper (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) finished with 11 points, four assists and four steals on Saturday. Junior
DJ Hahn (Warren, Pa./Warren) added 10 points and eight rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench. Senior
Abbey Sporio (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) posted eight points and four steals while battling foul trouble in the victory.
Cal U raced out to a 9-2 lead before Gannon answered with seven-straight points to tie the score at 9-9 with 5:58 left in the first quarter. The Vulcans responded with a 10-2 run to reclaim the lead at 19-11 following four-consecutive points by Barrett at the 2:29-mark. The teams traded points for the remainder of the quarter with Cal U holding a 23-15 lead. The Lady Knights posted a 9-4 rally early in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 29-26 with 5:55 left before halftime. Hahn snapped a nearly two-minute scoreless drought with a three-pointer that sparked a 9-3 run to give the Vulcans a 38-29 lead at the break.
The Lady Knights scored seven of the opening nine points in the third quarter to trim the deficit to 40-36 at the 7:27-mark. Cal U countered with an 8-2 rally to seize a double-digit lead at 48-38 on a three-pointer by Flood-Francis with 4:55 left in the quarter. The Vulcans later mounted a 10-2 run behind six points by Barrett to close the quarter with a 58-44 lead. Hahn made a jumper to start the fourth quarter before Gannon scored seven-consecutive points to work the lead down to 60-51 with 8:16 remaining. Hahn answered with five-straight points before the Lady Knights made a free-throw at the 5:51-mark. Both teams were then held scoreless for over five minutes, as the next points were recorded on a jumper by Barrett with 39 seconds left to play.
Cal U finished the game shooting 44.6 percent (25-of-56) from the floor and converted 88.2 percent (15-of-17) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Gannon shot at a 47.4 clip (18-of-38) from the field and went 77.8 percent (14-of-18) from the charity stripe. The Vulcans held a 28-25 rebounding advantage and forced 28 turnovers that led to 25 points.
Gannon senior Nicole Lacava led the team with 16 points on five-of-six from the floor and six-of-six from the free-throw line. Sophomore Sydney Mitchell posts 12 points, four rebounds and eight assists, while junior Chelsea Rourke added 11 points, three assists and two steals in the loss.
The Vulcans return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 9, when they play their first home game in three weeks by hosting Slippery Rock at 5:30 p.m.
