CALIFORNIA (Jan. 26) – The Vulcans erased a 13-point halftime deficit on Wednesday evening to capture a 62-56 victory over division-leading Seton Hill at the Convocation Center in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.
With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team improves to 10-3 overall behind a 5-3 mark in league action. Meanwhile, the Griffins fall to 16-5 this season with a 10-2 mark in conference play. Seton Hill entered play with the longest winning streak in the PSAC at 10 games.
Junior
Shauna Harrison (Sheffield, England/Myerscough) scored a season-high 20 points (16 second half) on 8-of-13 from the floor, including four-of-eight from behind the arc. She also posted three rebounds and two steals while playing all 40 minutes. Harrison, who entered the game with 66 total points this season, recorded the fourth 20-point game of her career.
Classmate
Lauren Bennett (Buckhannon, W.Va./Buckhannon-Upshur) finished with a season-high 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor. She added eight rebounds, a career-high five assists and two steals in the victory. Fellow junior
Dejah Terrell (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) recorded 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks while battling foul trouble and classmate
Ciaira Loyd (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) tallied season highs of seven rebounds and six steals, plus added nine points and nine assists on Wednesday.
Seton Hill opened the contest by scoring the initial five points before the Vulcans scored six-straight points to hold a 6-5 lead. After a basket by the Griffins, Cal U rattled off five-consecutive points to lead 11-7 after a three-pointer from Bennett with 4:36 left in the first quarter. Seton Hill rallied with a 7-0 run to take a 14-11 lead before the Vulcans responded with six-straight points to hold a 17-14 advantage after the first quarter. The Griffins rallied with a 14-0 run to start the second quarter and led 28-17 while holding the Vulcans to zero-of-eight from the field during the run. The teams traded the next eight points before Seton Hill scored four of the next six points to hold a 36-23 lead at halftime.
Cal U began the second half by scoring nine-consecutive points to cut the deficit to 36-32. The Vulcans scored five-of-nine points to trail 40-37 with 4:11 left in the third quarter. After a pair of Seton Hill free-throws, Cal U scored seven-straight points, capped off by a trey by Harrison, to take a 44-42 lead into the fourth quarter. The Griffins scored four of the opening six points to begin the fourth quarter before Cal U mounted a 6-2 run, capped off by a layup from Bennett, to extend its lead to 52-48 midway through the final quarter. The Vulcans scored six of the next 10 points before they sealed the game by converting four-of-four from the charity stripe.
Cal U finished the game shooting 40.4 percent (23-of-57) and 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Seton Hill finished the game shooting 38.9 percent (21-of-54) from the field and 9-of-14 (64.3 percent) from the foul line. The Vulcans held a 37-33 rebounding advantage behind 15 offensive rebounds and scored 25 points off turnovers.
Graduate student Katie Nolan, who was selected the Division II Conference Information Directors Association (D2CIDA) National Player of the Week yesterday, paced the Griffins with 17 points on 7-of-12 from the field and tallied 13 rebounds. Senior Sonia Sarda finished with 10 points and three rebounds, while graduate student Cheyenne Trest tallied 10 points and three steals on Wednesday.
Cal U is back in action when it travels to Slippery Rock on Saturday, Jan. 29, for a PSAC West contest scheduled for 1 p.m. Note, no spectators will be allowed at the contest.
