SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. (Jan. 29) – Junior
Dejah Terrell (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) reached the 1,000-point milestone in her career on Saturday afternoon, as the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team cruised to a 66-45 win at Slippery Rock in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.
With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 11-3 this season behind a 6-3 mark in conference action. Cal U has won 38 of the last 39 games in the series dating back to 2002. Meanwhile, Slippery Rock falls to 10-6 overall with a 5-5 record in league action.
Terrell led the team with 15 points and added eight rebounds, two steals and one block in 34 minutes of action. She entered the season with 746 career points in two years at Albright (Pa.) and ranked sixth in NCAA Division III with a single-season school record 608 total points during the 2019-20 campaign. Terrell averages 17.5 points over 54 games in her career.
Fellow junior
Shauna Harrison (Sheffield, England/Myerscough) scored 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including four three-pointers, off the bench. She also posted seven rebounds, five assists and two steals in the win. Classmate
Brionna Allen (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) tallied 13 points on 5-of-12 from the floor and tied her career high with eight rebounds. Junior
Ciaira Loyd (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) posted 13 assists, the most since Megan Storck recorded 15 in 2004 against Augusta State, while also tallying six points, four rebounds and two steals on Saturday. Classmate
Lauren Bennett (Buckhannon, W.Va./Buckhannon-Upshur) recorded a career-high seven steals and posted four rebounds in the victory.
Slippery Rock opened the contest on a 7-3 run before it extended the lead with an 8-5 run to hold a 15-8 advantage with 4:21 left in the first quarter. The Vulcans rallied with a 6-2 run led by Allen and Harrison to trim the deficit to 17-14 before holding a 19-17 lead at the end of the quarter. The Rock scored the initial basket of the second quarter before Cal U scored eight-straight points led by six points from Terrell' to extend the lead to 27-19 midway through the quarter. Slippery Rock scored four of the next seven points to end the half, as the Vulcans lead 30-23 at the break.
The teams traded 12 points to start the second half before Cal U posted a 6-4 run to hold a 42-33 lead with 3:30 remaining in the third quarter. The Vulcans extended their lead as they finished the quarter on a 6-0 run capped off by an Allen jumper to lead 48-33 heading into the fourth quarter. After a jumper from freshman
Juliana Burris (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman), The Rock scored five of the next seven points to cut the lead to 52-38 with 7:05 remaining. Cal U scored eight-straight points, all by Harrison as she she made three shots from the field, to push its lead to 60-38. The Rock scored four-consecutive points before the Vulcans closed the game by posting six of the next nine points.
Cal U finished the game shooting 35.4 percent (28-of-79) from the floor and totaled just eight free-throw attempts. Meanwhile, Slippery Rock finished the game shooting 31.4 percent (16-of-51) from the floor and a perfect nine-of-nine (100.0 percent) from the charity stripe. The Rock held a 49-36 rebound advantage, while the Vulcans forced 30 turnovers and tallied 21 steals in the victory.
Graduate student Jamiyah Johnson recorded a double-double in the loss, finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Kennedy Middleton posted seven points and nine rebounds, while sophomore Anyah Curd tallied 10 rebounds in the contest.
The Vulcans return to action on Monday, Jan. 31, as they host IUP in PSAC West play at the Convocation Center with play starting at 5:30 p.m.
