CALIFORNIA (Feb. 12) – Junior
Bianca Jasper (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) and senior
DJ Hahn (Warren, Pa./Warren) combined for over 30 points on Wednesday evening, as the Vulcans posted a 57-52 victory over No. 4 IUP in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play at the Convocation Center.
With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team improves to 17-6 this season and continues to sit in a tie for third in the divisional standings with an 11-6 mark. The Vulcans have won the last eight home meetings in the series with the Crimson Hawks, including victories when IUP was ranked Nos. 2, 3 and 4 in the national poll. Meanwhile, IUP drops to 21-2 overall with a 16-1 record in league play, as the loss snapped a program-best 19-game winning streak.
Hahn led the team and set a season high with 18 points while going 6-of-12 from the floor, including four-of-six from beyond the arc. She also posted three rebounds and one steal in 29 minutes off the bench. Hahn has scored in double-digits five times this year while averaging 16.2 minutes per game.
Jasper added 15 points behind seven-of-eight from the free-throw line and paced the team with eight rebounds (three offensive), four assists and three steals. Freshman
Olivia Hudson (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) finished with eight points, three rebounds and two steals while playing 24 minutes off the bench on Wednesday.
The Vulcans missed their initial 11 field-goal attempts of the game, as the Crimson Hawks held a 6-1 lead with 3:31 left in the first quarter. Cal U responded with a 15-2 run behind a combined 10 points from Hahn and Hudson to take a 16-8 lead with 7:20 left before halftime. The Crimson Hawks countered with three-pointers on consecutive possessions to trim the deficit to 16-14 at the 6:38-mark. Cal U later made a pair of treys in less than a minute before IUP scored seven-unanswered points to take a 23-22 lead with 2:14 remaining in the second quarter. The Vulcans then responded with six-straight points before taking a 28-25 lead at the break.
IUP mounted a 7-3 run early in the third quarter to trim the deficit to 33-32 at the 6:31-mark. The Crimson Hawks later scored six of eight points to claim a 38-37 lead with 2:45 left in the third quarter. Hahn scored five points in the final minute to give Cal U a 42-40 lead at the end of the quarter. The Crimson Hawks scored the initial basket of the fourth quarter to tie the game before a three-pointer by Hahn and a three-point play by Hudson gave the Vulcans a 48-42 lead with 7:48 left to play. IUP responded with an 8-2 run to tie the score at 50-50 before being held without a field goal for nearly five minutes. Hahn scored on back-to-back possessions, as Cal U took a 55-50 lead at the 2:44-mark. Both teams were then scoreless until Jasper converted a pair of free-throws with 10 seconds remaining.
Junior Justina Mascaro, a Delaware transfer, scored a game-high 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting to mark her seventh 20-point game of the year. Senior Lexi Griggs and junior Maura D'Anna both finished with six points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort.
The Vulcans finished the game shooting just 28.8 percent (17-of-59) from the floor behind 9-of-29 (31.0 percent) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Crimson Hawks converted at a 39.2 clip (20-of-51) from the field and went 5-of-16 (31.3 percent) from long range. IUP held a sizeable 45-31 rebounding advantage, while Cal U forced 21 turnovers that led to 19 points.
Cal U returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 15, when it travels to face Edinboro, which also sits third in the PSAC West standings, at 1 p.m.
