CALIFORNIA (Nov. 18) – The No. 7 Vulcans raced out to nearly a 20-point lead at the end of the first quarter before finishing with a 78-62 win over Bowie State on Friday afternoon at the Convocation Center in non-conference play.
With the victory, the California (PA) women's basketball team improves to 2-1 this season after winning its home-opener for the eighth-consecutive time. The Vulcans have played the Bulldogs in back-to-back seasons after previously not meeting since December of 2011. Meanwhile, Bowie State moves to 2-2 overall with all four games against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opponents.
Senior transfer
Rajah Fink (Dover, Pa./Dover) scored a career-high 25 points and set a career high with 13 rebounds (seven offensive) for her second career double-double on Friday. She shot 7-of-10 from the floor and converted 11-of-12 from the free-throw line while playing 34 minutes. Fink, an All-PSAC West selection at IUP last year, is averaging 13.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game this year.
Senior
Ciaira Loyd (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) posted her second 20-point game of the season, as she finished with 21 points on 7-of-18 from the floor, including three-of-five from long range. She also tallied four rebounds, four assists and five steals in 38 minutes. Junior
Halle Herrington (Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola) added 12 points, five rebounds and two steals, while sophomore transfer
Allycia Harris (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Elmer L. Meyers) finished with eight points, five rebounds and two steals in her first start of the year.
The Vulcans posted a 10-2 run early in the first quarter behind back-to-back treys by Herrington and Loyd to build a 10-4 lead at the 6:21-mark. Bowie State then scored five-straight points to trim the deficit to 10-9 before Cal closed the quarter on a dominating 18-0 run, including 12 points by Fink, to take a 28-9 lead. The Vulcans continued to stretch the lead by opening the second quarter on an 11-5 rally to hold a commanding 39-14 advantage following a jumper by Fink with 5:54 left before the break. Cal later closed the quarter on an 8-2 run with six points by Herrington to take a 47-20 lead at halftime.
In the middle portion of the third quarter, Bowie State posted a 16-6 rally to trim the deficit to 55-36 at the 2:44-mark. The Vulcans scored seven of the next 10 points and later held a 62-40 lead at the end of the quarter. The Bulldogs registered a 9-1 run early in the fourth quarter to work the deficit to 65-49 with 6:37 remaining. Cal countered with a 10-1 rally over three-plus minutes to take a 75-50 lead on a pair of free-throws by Loyd at the 3:00-mark. Bowie State later scored nine of the last 10 points, as Cal finished with the 78-62 victory.
The Vulcans made over 60 percent in the first quarter before finishing the game with a .387 field-goal percentage (24-of-62). Cal also converted 25-of-38 attempts (65.8 percent) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs shot at a 35.6 clip (21-of-59) from the floor, including just 2-of-13 from beyond the arc. Cal held a 46-41 rebounding advantage and scored 30 points from inside the paint, plus forced 18 turnovers.
Sophomore Anii Haris led Bowie State with 14 points, while freshman Khalia Turner added 12 points and six rebounds off the bench. Sophomore Katerra Myers, a 2022 All-CIAA selection, posted 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds in the loss.
The Vulcans return to action on Monday, Nov. 21, when they travel to face Central State (Ohio) of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) in Wilberforce, Ohio, at 5:30 p.m.
