ERIE, Pa. (Nov. 13) – California University of Pennsylvania head coach
Jess Strom broke the all-time school record for victories on Saturday night, as the Vulcans opened the year with a 76-60 victory over West Liberty at the Mountain East Conference (MEC)/Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Conference Challenge hosted by Mercyhurst.
With the win, Cal U starts the season at 1-0 for the eighth time under Strom. Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers open the year with a 0-1 mark after being tabbed fifth in the preseason MEC poll.
Strom now holds the school record with 213 victories, breaking a tie held with
Darcie Vincent (2000-08) since March 2020. Strom is beginning her 11th season as head coach of the program and holds a 213-61 record for a .777 winning percentage in her career. She sits third among active head coaches in the PSAC in victories, plus ranks eighth all-time in league history in wins. Strom has led the Vulcans to seven 20-win seasons and the program's second NCAA National Championship in 2015.
Junior transfer
Ciaira Loyd (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) led the team with 19 points on 6-of-10 from the floor and seven-of-eight from the free-throw line in her debut with the program. She also posted four assists and three steals while playing 20 minutes.
Sophomore Oliva Hudson (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) posted 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting and four rebounds before fouling out. Junior
Brionna Allen (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) totaled 12 points and five rebounds in the victory, while freshman
Juliana Burris (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman) finished with nine points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in her collegiate debut.
Cal U started the game on a 12-5 run after forcing West Liberty into seven turnovers in the opening five-plus minutes. The Vulcans later scored six-straight points to extend the lead to 18-6 before finishing the first quarter with an 18-10 lead. West Liberty started the second quarter on an 11-5 rally to trim the deficit to 23-21 with 4:18 left before halftime. The Vulcans then made four free-throws in a minute before the Hilltoppers scored the last seven points of the second quarter to take a 28-27 lead at the break.
The Vulcans posted a 16-5 run in the early portion of the third quarter after making seven-of-nine shots to take a 43-35 on a layup by Allen at the 5:02-mark. Cal U later scored six-straight points to stretch the lead to 49-36 lead before West Liberty scored seven of nine points to cut the deficit to 51-43 with 1:21 left in the quarter. Cal U made three free-throws in the final minute to take a 54-43 lead at the end of the quarter. The Vulcans extended the lead to 65-50 with 4:21 left to play after posting an 11-5 run and maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game.
Cal U was limited to only eight field goals in the first half before finishing the game shooting at a 40.3 clip (25-of-62). The Vulcans also converted 75.9 percent (22-of-29) from the free-throw line in the victory. In comparison, the Hilltoppers made 41.7 percent (20-of-48) from the floor and went 6-of-17 (35.3 percent) from beyond the arc. Cal U held a 40-32 rebounding advantage and also forced 28 turnovers on Saturday.
West Liberty sophomore Corinne Thomas led the team with both 18 points and nine rebounds, while junior Arriana Manzay added 12 points and five rebounds in the losing effort.
The Vulcans continue play at the season-opening event tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 14, when they face Charleston (W.Va.) in Erie, Pennsylvania, at 3 p.m.
