JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (Feb. 5) – Behind a dominating fourth quarter in which it allowed only two points, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team earned a 76-51 win at Pitt-Johnstown on Wednesday evening in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.
With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 16-6 overall and remain fourth in the divisional standings with a 10-6 mark in league play. Cal U has won 13-straight games in the series with Pitt-Johnstown, including six-consecutive road wins. Meanwhile, the Mountain Cats fall to 12-10 this season with a 7-9 record in conference action.
Sophomore
Shauna Harrison (Sheffield, England/Myerscough) scored a career-high 28 points on 10-of-21 shooting, including 6-of-12 from beyond the arc. She also led the team with 11 rebounds (five offensive) for her second-straight double-double and added five assists and five steals in the win. Harrison, who set a career best with six three-pointers in the win, is averaging 11.7 rebounds over the last three games after collecting at least 11 rebounds in each contest.
Junior
Bianca Jasper (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) tallied eight points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals on Wednesday. Sophomore
Lauren Bennett (Buckhannon, W.Va./Buckhannon-Upshur) finished with nine points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals, while senior
DJ Hahn (Warren, Pa./Warren) posted 10 points and five rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench.
Early in the first quarter, Harrison and freshman
Halle Herrington (Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola) each made a pair of three-pointers for the Vulcans during a 12-4 run. Cal U was held without a field goal over the last five minutes of the quarter, as UPJ mounted a 9-2 rally to take a 15-14 lead. The Vulcans opened the second quarter on a 7-2 run to claim a 21-17 lead on a three-pointer by Harrison at the 6:13-mark. Midway through the quarter, Cal U scored seven of nine points to stretch the lead to 28-22 with 1:42 left before the break. The Vulcans later took a 32-29 lead at halftime, as the teams combined to make their last five shots of the quarter.
UPJ scored the opening basket of the third quarter before Cal U tallied 11-unanswered points, including six points by Jasper, to take a 43-31 lead at the 5:41-mark. The Mountain Cats later scored nine-straight points and closed the quarter on a 14-2 run to trim the deficit to 50-49. Cal U rallied off 12-consecutive points to start the fourth quarter to build a 62-49 lead with 6:26 left to play. The Mountain Cats made their lone field goal of the quarter at the 6:09-mark before the Vulcans scored the last 14 points of the game to claim a 76-51 victory. Harrison scored 12 of her 28 points in the fourth quarter on Wednesday.
The Vulcans shot nearly 50 percent in the second half and finished the game with a .391 field-goal percentage (25-of-64). Cal U made double-digit three-pointers for the fourth time this season, converting 11-of-32 (34.4 percent) from long range, plus went 15-of-17 (88.2 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, UPJ shot at a 46.0 clip (23-of-50) from the floor and was held without a free-throw attempt. The Vulcans held a 38-29 rebounding advantage behind 17 offensive rebounds and collected 20 steals while forcing 23 turnovers.
Freshman Olivia Fasick led Pitt-Johnstown with 10 points and added five assists and three steals. Classmate Ashley Norling posted nine points, four rebounds and two assists, while senior Alli McGrath finished with eight points, five rebounds and three assists in the loss.
Cal U is idle over the weekend before returning to action on Wednesday, Feb. 12, when it hosts PSAC West-leading IUP at the Convocation Center with tip set for 5:30 p.m.
