CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Nov. 11) – The No. 7 Vulcans allowed only one field goal over the last 12 minutes on Friday afternoon while opening the season with a 70-67 overtime victory against West Liberty at the Wehrle Innovation Center on the campus of Charleston (W.Va.).
With the win, the California (PA) women's basketball team begins the year with a 1-0 mark for the eighth-consecutive season. The Vulcans also earned their first overtime victory since the second round 2019 NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers start the campaign at 0-1 overall after being picked third in the preseason Mountain East Conference (MEC) poll.
Senior guard
Ciaira Loyd (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) scored a game-high 28 points while shooting 10-of-24 from the floor and seven-of-eight from free-throw line. She also collected four assists, five steals and two rebounds while playing 43 minutes on Friday. Last year, Loyd scored a season-high 25 points in the semifinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament.
Senior
Dejah Terrell (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic), a 2022 Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-American, finished with 12 points and seven rebounds in the season-opener. Sophomore transfer
Allycia Harris (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Elmer L. Meyers) posted seven points and a team-high 10 rebounds while playing 23 minutes off the bench. Senior transfer
Rajah Fink (Dover, Pa./Dover) tallied seven points, seven rebounds and two assists after being limited to just one minute in the first half due to foul trouble.
In overtime, the teams combined to shoot 0-for-10 from the field as all seven points were scored from the free-throw line. The Vulcans took the lead in overtime on a free-throw at the 3:55-mark before Loyd converted both free-throw attempts on the next offensive possession, 68-65. West Liberty countered with a pair of free-throws with 3:05 left to cut the deficit to 68-67 before Loyd scored the final points of the game with 2:15 left to play. The Hilltoppers missed a pair of potential game-tying three-pointers in the final 11 seconds on Friday.
Cal scored the opening points of the game before West Liberty held an 8-6 lead at the 6:14-mark in the first quarter. The Vulcans countered with an 11-5 run to take a 17-13 lead with 2:02 remaining on a jumper by junior
Halle Herrington (Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola). West Liberty answered with seven-straight point to hold a 20-17 lead in the opening minute of the second quarter. Cal responded with a 12-3 run – all by Harris, Herrington and Loyd – to take a 29-23 lead with 5:41 left before halftime. The Hilltoppers cut the deficit to 33-32 on a three-pointer before the Vulcans eventually took a 38-36 lead into the break.
The Vulcans built the lead to 48-43 following a jumper by Terrell midway through the third quarter. Cal later held a 56-49 advantage at the 2:35-mark before West Liberty mounted an 11-2 run over five-plus minutes to take a 60-58 lead with 6:47 left in the fourth quarter. Loyd made back-to-back baskets to give the Vulcans a 62-60 lead at the 6:08-mark before the Hilltoppers tied the score with 5:58 remaining. Junior transfer
Jordan Smith (Manassas, Va./Colgan) made a layup at the 4:09-mark to give Cal a 64-62 lead. The teams were then scoreless for almost two minutes before a three-pointer gave the Hilltoppers a 65-64 lead and the Vulcans later tied the score on a free-throw with 59 seconds left in regulation.
Cal finished the game shooting 33.3 percent (25-of-75) from the floor after going just a combined 3-of-23 in the fourth quarter and overtime. Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers posted a .429 field-goal percentage (21-of-49) and converted 39.1 percent (9-of-23) from long range. Both teams registered 41 rebounds with the Vulcans tallying 21 offensive rebounds that led to 12 second-chance points. Cal also forced 32 turnovers in the season-opener and scored 26 points off turnovers.
West Liberty sophomore Karly McCutcheon scored a team-high 16 points behind four-of-five from beyond the arc. Junior Grace Faulk and senior Arriana Manzay both finished with 10 points and Manzay added eight rebounds.
The Vulcans continue play at season-opening event tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 12, when they face host and No. 15 Charleston at 2 p.m. The two-time, defending-MEC Champion Golden Eagles eliminated the Vulcans in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
