CALIFORNIA (Jan. 4) – Senior
Rajah Fink (Dover, Pa./Dover) recorded her league-leading seventh double-double on Wednesday evening, as the California (PA) women's basketball team opened Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action with a 53-43 win over Clarion at the Convocation Center.
With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 8-4 this season with a 4-2 mark in conference play. Cal also extended its winning streak in the series with Clarion to 21-straight games dating back to Jan. 25, 2012. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles fall to 2-9 overall behind a 2-4 record in league action.
Fink scored a game-high 24 points and added 10 rebounds (four offensive) on Wednesday. She shot 8-of-15 from the floor and converted eight-of-nine from the free-throw line while registering her fourth 20-point game of the season. Fink also collected three assists, two blocks and two steals while playing all 40 minutes against Clarion.
Sophomore
Allycia Harris (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Elmer L. Meyers) posted 11 points, six rebounds and a career-high four blocks in 27 minutes on Wednesday. Senior
Ciaira Loyd (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) tallied seven rebounds and six assists, while junior
Halle Herrington (Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola) finished with seven points and six rebounds in the win.
Midway through the first quarter, Clarion mounted a 7-2 run to take 13-6 lead at the 4:40-mark. The Vulcans then responded with a 10-2 rally to claim a 16-15 lead at the end of the quarter. Both teams struggled to score in the second quarter, as they combined for only 14 points on 6-of-29 shooting (20.7 percent). The Golden Eagles snapped a nearly five-minute scoreless drought at the 5:43-mark and took their last lead of the game at 20-18 with 4:40 left before halftime. Cal then made back-to-back baskets after being held scoreless for five-plus minutes and later took a 23-22 lead into the break.
The Vulcans scored the opening six points of the third quarter to take a 29-22 lead on a jumper by Loyd at the 7:21-mark. Clarion cut the deficit to 31-28 before Cal registered 13-unanswered points over four minutes to seize a 44-28 lead following back-to-back baskets by Harris. The Vulcans later held a 47-31 advantage with 8:32 left in the fourth quarter before the Golden Eagles mounted a 12-2 run to trim the deficit to 43-39 at the 1:32-mark. Cal then sealed the victory by converting four free-throws over the final 90 seconds and holding Clarion scoreless during that span.
Cal finished the game shooting 37.0 percent (20-of-54) from the floor despite going just 3-of-19 (15.8 percent) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles were held to a .310 field-goal percentage (18-of-58) after making only 3-of-15 (20.0 percent) from three-point territory. The Vulcans finished with a 44-35 rebounding advantage after collecting 32 defensive rebounds.
Clarion senior Jada Smith recorded nine points, 13 rebounds, three assists and seven steals in the losing effort. Sophomore Sierra Bermudez led the team with 15 points behind three-of-seven shooting from long range, while freshman Ava Haddad finished with 11 points and four rebounds.
The Vulcans return to action on Saturday, Jan. 7, when they travel to face Slippery Rock at 1 p.m.
