Cal women hold off pesky Seton Hill, await IUP
Lori C. Padilla/For the Observer-Reporter
Cal senior Seairra Barrett fights for possession between Seton Hill’s Katie Nolan and Tiana Stewart during Monday’s PSAC West game.
Lori C. Padilla/For the Observer-Reporter
Cal’s Collin MacAdams tries to drive around Seton Hill’s Milenko Predic during Monday’s game at the Convocation Center.
Lori C. Padilla
Guard Brent Pegram is back at California University after averaging 20 points per game two years ago. The Vulcans play their first game since March 4, 2020, today at Charleston (W.Va.).
puts up a layup while being defended by Seton Hill’s Nathan Davis during Monday’s game at the Convocation Center.
Lori C. Padilla/For the Observer-Reporter
Cal’s Abby Sporio tries to shoot over Seton Hill’s Lexi Civittolo during Monday’s PSAC game at the Convocation Center.
CALIFORNIA – Throughout the years, Seton Hill has given the California University women’s basketball team fits.
No matter the records, both teams match up well and the Griffins are always the underdogs.
The 15th-ranked Vulcans avoided the upset and outscored Seton Hill 17-10 in the fourth quarter to pull out a 66-59 triumph Monday afternoon at the Convocation Center to stretch their winning streak to five games.
“Seton Hill always plays us tough,” Cal coach Jess Strom said. “They are well-coached and play tough defense against you. We had to slow their top shooter down and just keep our composure on the floor. There’s never an easy game in this conference.”
The contest was supposed to be played on Saturday but was pushed it back two days when a state of emergency was declared for Pennsylvania ahead of a winter storm. Cal plays at first-place IUP, the No. 1-ranked team in NCAA Division II, on Wednesday.
Seairra Barrett again led the Vulcans (9-1, 15-1) with a double-double, 23 points and 16 rebounds. The redshirt senior has 1,656 career points, which ranks sixth in school history.
“She’s just an unbelievable player,” Strom said. “Nothing really surprises me anymore with Seairra. We expect her to attack the glass every night and be a force for us on offense. Teams are throwing zones at us, so that makes it easier for us to box out and get those rebounds. Seairra is a force inside. She’s just a superior athlete.”
As a team, Cal outrebounded the Griffins (5-5, 11-6) by a 43-34 margin. They registered 21 offensive rebounds and forced 20 turnovers.
Jiahna Flood-Francis was also in double figures for Cal with 17 points, and Shauna Harrison posted a double-double off the bench with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Megan Marecic led Seton Hill with 22 points. Canon-McMillan graduate Cheyenne Trest was held to four points but had a team-high 10 rebounds.
After both teams were held scoreless in the opening two minutes, the Griffins opened up the contest with a 9-3 run. The Vulcans countered with a 12-6 spurt to end the opening quarter, as five players reached the scoresheet in opening 10 minutes.
Cal then broke loose from a 15-15 tie in the second quarter with the period’s opening nine points. The run was capped by a three-point play by Lauren Bennett.
“Lauren gave us a spark,” Strom said. “We were kind of stagnant on offense and that three-point play really gave us energy. She also took a charge and got a steal for us late in the first half. She’s very long for a guard and moves her feet well on defense.”
The visitors answered with a 10-3 run before Cal closed the second quarter by scoring seven of the final nine points and extended its lead to 34-27.
Barrett had eight points in the quarter, and with a mid-range jumper in the middle of the period, surpassed Sameera Philyaw for sixth place on the all-time scoring list.
Seton Hill carried the play in the third quarter and started the frame with a 12-4 run. After a three-pointer by Flood-Francis, the visitors scored eight of the final 14 points to make it 49-49.
After an early basket by the Griffins in the fourth quarter, the Vulcans went on a 13-3 run to stretch their lead to 62-54 after a pair of free throws by Barrett. The visitors cut the deficit to 62-57 with 58 seconds left, but Cal hit enough of its foul shots to secure the win.
“For most of the second half, we only had two seniors and the rest were freshmen on the floor,” Strom said. “Those young kids got a lot of quality minutes and they are constantly growing. We just force teams into tough shots and we try to make our opponents jump shooters.”
Seton Hill, 72-70
Trevor Blondin connected on two free throws with 12 seconds left, as Seton Hill was able to pick up the road win over Cal.
The Vulcans (4-6, 6-10) raced out to an 18-5 lead, but couldn’t maintain their lead and the visitors took back the momentum in the later stages of the first half.
After the early burst for Cal, the visitors started to chip away the lead and tied it up at 29-29 with a 3-pointer from Blondin, who finished with 23 points.
The Griffins (2-8, 4-12) stretched their lead to 38-32 before Cal scored the final four points of the half.
In the second half, California scored the first eight points, but the visitors countered with a 14-7 run to retake the lead for good at 62-55. The teams traded points the rest of the way until the two foul shots by Blondin.
Nathan Davis finished with 21 points, and Malik McKinney chipped in with 16 for Seton Hill.
Zyan Collins scored a team-high 23 points for the Vulcans, who only dressed eight players and played six. Collin MacAdams (17) and Brent Pegram (16) were also in double figures for California.