SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. (Jan. 7) – Led by four players scoring in double-digits, the Vulcans extended their winning streak to five games on Saturday afternoon with a 63-52 victory at Slippery Rock in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.
With the win, the California (PA) women's basketball team improves to 9-4 overall behind a 5-2 record in league action. The Vulcans have won the last five meetings against The Rock since Slippery Rock snapped a 35-game losing streak in the series on Feb. 2, 2019. Meanwhile, The Rock drops to 8-5 this season with a 3-4 mark in conference play.
Senior
Ciaira Loyd (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) scored a team-high 16 points on 7-of-19 shooting. She also collected five rebounds, eight assists and five steals in the victory. A 2022 All-PSAC West First-Team selection, Loyd is averaging 5.8 assists per game this season while also scoring 13.7 points per game.
Fellow senior
Rajah Fink (Dover, Pa./Dover) recorded her fourth double-double in the last five games, finishing with 15 points and 14 rebounds (four offensive). Junior
Halle Herrington (Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola) also scored 15 points on Saturday behind a trio of three-pointers. Sophomore
Allycia Harris (Wilkes, Barre, Pa./Elmer L. Meyers) posted 12 points, eight rebounds and two steals at Slippery Rock.
Early in the first quarter, Cal mounted a 9-3 run to take an 11-5 lead on a jumper by Herrington at the 5:17-mark. The Vulcans later closed the quarter on an 8-2 rally to stretch their lead to double-digits, 19-9, after allowing only one field goal in the final five minutes. Midway through the second quarter, Cal posted a 9-3 run to extend the lead to 30-16 on another jumper by Herrington with 4:05 left before the break. The Rock countered with four free-throws before a three-pointer by Herrington and a layup by Harris made the score 35-20 at the 1:55-mark. Slippery Rock scored the final five points of the quarter, as Cal took a 35-25 lead into halftime.
The Vulcans were held without a field goal in the third quarter until the 6:28-mark yet mounted a 7-2 run midway through the quarter to take a 43-31 lead with 5:14 left to play. Cal later scored six-straight points over the last minute-plus of the quarter to hold a 52-37 lead. The Rock answered with an 11-2 rally early in the fourth quarter to trim the deficit to 56-48 with 3:08 remaining. Herrington then made a three-pointer, 59-48, and Slippery Rock managed just one field goal for the remainder of the contest.
Cal shot nearly 50 percent in the first half before finishing the game with a .403 field-goal percentage (27-of-67). Meanwhile, The Rock shot at a 33.3 clip (18-of-54) from the floor and converted 13-of-15 (86.7 percent) from the free-throw line. Slippery Rock held a 42-38 rebounding advantage, yet Cal scored 36 points inside the paint and forced 21 turnovers.
Rock sophomore Isabellah Middleton led all players with 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting. Senior Kennedy Middleton, Isabellah's older sister, registered a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while classmate Deleah Gison finished with nine points, five rebounds and four steals in the loss.
The Vulcans return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 11, when they host Edinboro in divisional play at 5:30 p.m. Cal and Edinboro are two of four teams tied for second place in the PSAC West standings and sit just one-game back of division-leading IUP.
