EDINBORO, Pa. (Jan. 15) – Playing its first game in nearly a month, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team suffered a 62-53 loss at Edinboro while opening Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play on Saturday afternoon.
With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 8-2 this season with a 4-2 mark in league action. Cal U, which was playing its initial game since Dec. 19, has now lost seven-straight meetings against Edinboro at McComb Fieldhouse with its last road win in the series coming in the 2014-15 campaign. Meanwhile, the Fighting Scots, which were also playing for the first time since Dec. 19, improve to 6-3 overall behind a 4-2 record in conference play.
Junior
Brionna Allen (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) led the team and tied a season high with 17 points. She shot 7-of-11 from the floor and added four rebounds while playing 22 minutes on Saturday. Allen ranks third on the team in scoring this year while shooting a career-best 53.4 percent (39-of-73) from the field.
Classmate
Lauren Bennett (Buckhannon, W.Va./Buckhannon-Upshur) scored 11 points on five-of-nine shooting, plus collected eight rebounds and four steals against the Fighting Scots. Fellow junior
Dejah Terrell (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) tallied 11 points (all first half), six rebounds, two blocks and three steals before fouling out. Junior
Shauna Harrison (Sheffield, England/Myerscough) paced the team with nine rebounds and added nine points and three steals in the loss.
The Vulcans opened the game on a 9-2 run after making four of their initial five shots. Edinboro then scored eight of the next 10 points to trim the deficit to 11-10 with 4:06 left in the first quarter. Cal U responded with a 7-3 rally to take an 18-13 lead at the end of the quarter. Following a free-throw by the Fighting Scots, the Vulcans scored five-consecutive points to stretch the lead to 23-14 on a jumper by Bennett with 6:58 left before halftime. Edinboro countered with a 14-3 run to claim its first lead of the game at 28-26 with 1:42 remaining in the second quarter. The Vulcans scored the next four points before the Fighting Scots made a three-pointer on their final possession of the first half to take a 31-30 lead at the break.
Cal U raced out on a 12-2 rally behind eight points by Allen to start the third quarter to reclaim the lead at 42-33 with 3:59 left in the quarter. The Fighting Scots made a pair of baskets in the final minute of the third quarter to trim the deficit to 45-39. Harrison made a three-pointer on the opening possession for Cal U in the fourth quarter before Edinboro mounted a 10-1 run to tie the score at 49-49 at the 5:58-mark. Following a layup by Allen, the Fighting Scots tallied nine-unanswered points to claim a 58-51 lead with 53 seconds remaining. Edinboro then sealed the victory with four free-throws in the final 30 seconds.
The Vulcans finished the game shooting 35.0 percent (21-of-60) from the field after going just 3-of-15 (20.0 percent) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Fighting Scots shot at 41.5 clip (22-of-53) and converted 12-of-14 (85.7 percent) from the free-throw line. Cal U held a 38-35 rebounding advantage behind 13 offensive rebounds and forced 21 turnovers in the contest.
Sophomore Rana Elhusseini, the 2020 PSAC West Freshman of the Year, scored a game-high 24 points on 9-of-18 from the floor. She also added seven rebounds, three assists and five steals on Saturday. Freshman Haley Sims posted 17 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore Bella Burrelli – a 2021 All-PSAC West First-Team volleyball selection – finished with nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Cal U returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 19, when it travels to face Clarion in PSAC West play at 5:30 p.m.
