INDIANA, Pa. (Feb. 9) – Led by a last-minute three-pointer, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team captured a 64-59 victory at IUP to open the second round of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play on Wednesday evening.
With the win, the Vulcans improve to 15-4 overall behind a 10-4 mark in conference action. Cal U swept the regular-season series with IUP for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign. Meanwhile, the Crimson Hawks fall to 16-6 this season behind a 10-6 league record.
Junior
Dejah Terrell (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the floor and 12 rebounds (six offensive). She also tallied three assists, two blocks and two steals while playing 38 minutes.
Classmate
Ciaira Loyd (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) finished with 13 points, a season-high nine rebounds and eight assists while playing all 40 minutes. Fellow junior
Shauna Harrison (Sheffield, England/Myerscough) collected 13 points and five rebounds, while sophomore
Halle Herrington (Pittsburgh, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola) registered nine points, two assists and two steals off the bench. Junior
Lauren Bennett (Buckhannon, W.Va./Buckhannon-Upshur) recorded eight points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in the victory.
The Vulcans cut the deficit to 57-55 on a three-pointer by Herrington with under three minutes remaining before tying the score at 59-59 on a layup by Terrell at the 2:06-mark. The teams went scoreless over the next minute before Bennett was able to drain the go-ahead three-pointer out of a timeout to give Cal U a 62-59 lead with 50 seconds remaining. The Vulcans were able to hold IUP to an empty possession before Terrell converted two-of-four from the foul line to secure the victory.
Both teams struggled early as they went over two and a half minutes before IUP converted a jumper at the 7:28-mark. Cal U managed to score its initial points with five minutes remaining before the Crimson Hawks mounted an 8-3 run to lead 10-5. The Vulcans ended the quarter on a 6-2 run to trail by a 12-11 margin after the first quarter. IUP started the second quarter by scoring seven of eight points to hold a 19-12 advantage before Cal U mounted a 9-6 rally to cut the deficit to 25-21 with just under five minutes remaining in the first half. After trading baskets, the Vulcans scored four-straight points to tie the score at 27-27. IUP responded with a 7-4 run to lead 34-31 at halftime.
The teams traded the opening 14 points of the second half, as IUP held a 41-38 advantage with 7:08 remaining. The Crimson Hawks scored seven of the next nine points to hold a 48-40 lead before Herrington and Bennett led a 9-4 rally to trim the deficit to 52-49 at the end of the third quarter. Both teams struggled to begin the fourth quarter, as they went over three and a half minutes without a basket. The two teams traded the next six points before IUP scored four-of-seven points to lead 59-55 with 3:07 remaining.
Cal U finished the game shooting 33.3 percent (23-of-69) and was just 8-of-35 (22.9 percent) from three-point range. Meanwhile, IUP shot 47.1 percent (24-of-51) from the floor and 5-of-14 from long range. The Crimson Hawks held a 37-35 rebound advantage, while the Vulcans forced 17 turnovers.
Redshirt senior Justina Mascaro led IUP with 15 points on six-of-eight shooting from the floor, including three-of-five from beyond the arc. She tallied six rebounds while junior Rajah Fink recorded 14 points and six rebounds on Wednesday. Redshirt senior Courtney Alexander finished with 10 points, three rebounds and two assists, while classmate Maura D'Anna collected a team-high seven rebounds.
Cal U returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 12, when it hosts Edinboro in divisional action at 1 p.m.
