CALIFORNIA (Jan. 9) – The No. 16 Vulcans mounted a 19-2 run late in the fourth quarter to overcome an 11-point deficit and earn a 78-72 victory over Slippery Rock in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play at the Convocation Center on Wednesday evening.
With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team improves to 12-1 overall with a 6-1 record in league action. Meanwhile, The Rock drops to 6-7 this season behind a 4-3 mark in conference play.
Junior
Gina Vallecorsa (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) led the team with 20 points behind 7-of-15 shooting, including three-of-nine from beyond the arc. She also added four rebounds and three assists while playing all 40 minutes on Wednesday. Vallecorsa recorded her second 20-point game of the season after being held scoreless on Saturday.
Senior
Abbey Sporio (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) posted 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals in the victory. Redshirt senior
Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) finished with her fourth double-double of the year, tallying 16 points and 11 rebounds (six offensive), and added four assists while playing all 40 minutes. Junior
DJ Hahn (Warren, Pa./Warren) tied for the team lead and matched her career high with 11 rebounds (five offensive), while also scoring seven points in 24 minutes off the bench. Senior
Jiahna Flood-Francis (Pittsburgh, Pa./West Mifflin) collected 14 points behind 10-of-11 from the free-throw line, plus six rebounds and three assists in the victory.
Slippery Rock held a 51-49 lead at the start of the fourth quarter and scored the initial nine points of the quarter to take a 60-49 lead with 7:14 remaining. The teams traded baskets before the Vulcans mounted the game-changing run in the final minutes of the game. Cal U scored 10-unanswered points to cut the deficit to 62-61 after Flood-Francis converted a three-point play at the 3:49-mark. The Rock snapped a nearly four-minute scoreless drought with a jumper on the next possession before the Vulcans countered with another nine-straight points to take a 70-64 lead on a three-point play by Sporio with 1:34 left to play. Slippery Rock answered with a three-pointer before Cal U sealed the victory by making 8-of-10 free-throw attempts in the final minute of the game.
Cal U took a 33-29 lead at the break after Slippery Rock made a jumper at the buzzer. The Vulcans later held a 37-35 lead with 7:38 left in the third quarter before The Rock mounted a 14-3 run over four-plus minutes to take a 49-40 lead at the 3:17-mark. Vallecorsa then made back-to-back shots before Barrett followed with a layup to trim the deficit to 49-47 with 1:30 left in the third quarter.
The Vulcans were held to a season-low .347 field-goal percentage (25-of-72) after making just 5-of-33 attempts (15.2) percent from beyond the arc – their most three-point attempts since Dec. 9, 2011. Meanwhile, Slippery Rock shot at a 53.4 clip (31-of-58) from the floor. However, Cal U converted 71.9 percent (23-of-32) from the free-throw line and attempted 24 more free-throws than Slippery Rock. The Vulcans also held a 42-34 rebounding advantage behind an impressive 24 offensive rebounds.
Rock junior Brooke Hinderliter scored a game-high 29 points after shooting 14-of-22 from the field. Classmate LeeAnn Gibson finished with 12 points and six rebounds, while senior Morgan Henderson added nine points and seven rebounds in the loss.
Cal U returns to PSAC Crossover action on Saturday, Jan. 12, when it travels to face Lock Haven at 1 p.m.
