WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. (Nov. 9) – After trailing by as many as 19 points in the third quarter on Saturday night, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team completed an 81-80 comeback victory at West Liberty in the final day of the MEC/PSAC Conference Challenge.
With the win, the Vulcans improve to 2-0 overall after defeating a pair of NCAA Tournament teams from last year. Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers drop to 1-1 this season after being tabbed fourth in the preseason MEC poll.
Senior transfer
Monica Burns (New Stanton, Pa./Hempfield) paced the team with 21 points after converting 7-of-13 shots, including five-of-eight from three-point range. She also tallied four rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes of action. Sophomore
Brionna Allen (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) scored a career-high 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and collected five rebounds in 27 minutes against West Liberty.
Sophomore
Lauren Bennett (Buckhannon, W.Va./ Buckhannon-Upshur) also scored a career high with 12 points on four-of-nine from the floor and grabbed three rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench. Senior
DJ Hahn (Warren, Pa./Warren) registered eight points, a team-leading seven rebounds and three steals in 23 minutes off the bench in the win.
In the third quarter, West Liberty went on a 9-2 run over a nearly two-minute stretch to establish a 51-32 advantage at the 7:44-mark. The Vulcans quickly responded with a 10-2 rally on a perfect three-of-three shooting, led by Allen with five points, to close the gap to 53-42 with 5:48 left. The Hilltoppers then countered with 13-5 run to match their largest lead of the contest at 19 points, 66-47, with 4:41 remaining in the third quarter. Over the final four-plus minutes of the quarter, Cal U made five-straight field-goal attempts, including six points from Allen, to cut the deficit to 69-59 entering the fourth. West Liberty maintained a 15-point lead at the 5:24-mark before Cal U answered with a 17-1 run in just over a five-minute stretch to take an 81-80 lead with 21 seconds left after a three-point play by Allen. During the span, Cal U converted 7-of-13 from the field, while the Hilltoppers failed to make a shot on six field-goal attempts. Following a West Liberty timeout, the Hilltoppers were unable to get off another shot in the closing seconds, as the Vulcans secured the 81-80 victory on Saturday.
West Liberty raced out to 17-4 lead in the first quarter after knocking down 7-of-11 shots in the opening five minutes of the contest. Burns responded with a layup as part of a 9-0 run by the Vulcans to trim the deficit to 17-13 with 1:28 left in the first quarter. The Hilltoppers then converted a three-pointer before Hahn made a pair of free-throws to trail 20-15 at the end of the first. After the teams traded four-straight baskets, West Liberty mounted a 9-0 run to hold a 34-19 lead with 5:46 left before the break. Burns would score the final 11 points of the second quarter for the Vulcans to close the gap to 42-30 at halftime.
The Vulcans shot nearly 85 percent in the third quarter before finishing the game making 49.2 percent (30-of-61) from the floor, while also converting 15-of-18 (83.3 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers posted a .471 field-goal percentage (24-of-51) and made 12-of-30 (40.0 percent) from beyond the arc. Cal U held a slight 32-30 rebounding advantage, while also scoring 35 points off the bench.
Senior Morgan Brunner scored a game-high 32 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including six three-pointers. She went a perfect eight-of-eight from the free-throw line and added five rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes. Junior Olivia Belknap scored 18 points on 5-of-10 shots and grabbed three rebounds in 31 minutes, while senior Taylor Johnson finished with 13 points on 5-of-10 from the field in 22 minutes on Saturday.
Cal U returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 13, for its home opener against Virginia Union, another NCAA Tournament team from last year, in the Convocation Center at 5:30 p.m.
