Box Score
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (Oct. 25) – The Vulcans trailed by just six points at halftime on Friday night before dropping a 109-67 exhibition contest against preseason Big Ten favorite Maryland at the Xfinity Center.
The California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team was playing an exhibition against a NCAA Division I program for the second-straight year. The Terrapins posted a 29-5 overall record last season and played in the Big Ten Championship for the fifth-consecutive season. Maryland, which returns all five starters, features former Cal U standout Kaitlynn Fratz on the coaching staff.
Senior transfer
Monica Burns (New Stanton, Pa./Hempfield) scored a game-high 29 points after shooting 10-of-20 from the floor, including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. She also tallied three assists while playing 24 minutes at Maryland on Friday. Burns previously was a two-time All-MEC selection while starring at Wheeling after scoring nearly 1,000 points in just two seasons.
Freshman
Halle Herrington (Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola) finished with 10 points behind three-of-four from long range in 17 minutes off the bench. Junior
Bianca Jasper (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) posted eight points and three steals in the exhibition, while sophomore
Shauna Harrison (Sheffield, England/Myerscough) added six points and three steals in 14 minutes off the bench.
Maryland held a 9-8 lead midway through the first quarter before scoring eight-straight points to stretch the lead to 17-8 at the 3:32-mark. The Vulcans responded with a 12-5 run to cut the deficit to 22-20 with 9:40 remaining in the second quarter after Burns and senior
DJ Hahn (Warren, Pa./Warren) combined for 10 points. Maryland then rallied off eight-unanswered points before Cal U countered with a 10-2 run to trim the score to 32-30 at the 3:55-mark on a three-pointer by Harrison. The Terrapins scored the final two baskets of the first half to take a 36-30 lead at the break.
Early in the third quarter, Maryland mounted a 15-4 rally after making six-straight shots to stretch the lead to 53-36 at the 5:54-mark. Burns then scored on back-to-back possessions before the Terrapins posted 10-straight points to seize a 65-41 lead with 3:07 left in the third quarter. Maryland later registered a 22-4 run after making 10-of-15 from the floor to take a sizeable 87-49 lead with 6:52 remaining in the contest. Herrington later made a pair of three-pointers in less than a minute before the Terrapins finished the game on a 9-2 run.
Sophomore Taylor Mikesell, the 2019 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, led five Terrapins in double-digit scoring with 17 points in just 19 minutes. Senior Stephanie Jones finished with 15 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, while sophomore Shakira Austin, who stands 6-foot-5, posted 14 points, five rebounds, two blocks and three steals in the victory.
The Vulcans finished the game shooting 39.1 percent (25-of-64) from the field after making 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Terrapins posted a blistering .738 field-goal percentage (45-of-61) and held a commanding 42-18 rebounding advantage. Cal U forced 21 turnovers, including 17 in the first half, in the contest and the bench accounted for 26 points.
Cal U opens the regular season in two weeks at the MEC/PSAC Conference Challenge when it faces Charleston (W.Va.) and host West Liberty on Nov. 8-9.
