Undermanned Vulcans fall to Virginia Union
California University players Morgan Jennings, left, Precious Martin, center, and Brittany Nelson shout encouragment from the bench Monday night in the Vulcans’ game against Virginia Union in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional championship.
California’s Shatara Parsons drives around Virginia Union’s Lady Walker to attempt a shot during the second half of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region championship game Monday at Hamer Hall. Parsons was Cal’s leading scorer with 21 points and was named to the all-tournament team.
California University’s Abbey Sporio leads a fast break Monday against Virginia Union.
CALIFORNIA – Though it is only the smallest of consolations today, the California University women’s basketball team ended its season heroically Monday night, one victory shy of the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
The Vulcans simply had too many missed shots, too many players on crutches and too many players wearing knee braces and warmup suits to beat a talented Virginia Union team.
Senior forward Lady Walker scored a game-high 32 points and third-seeded Virginia Union won its second consecutive Atlantic Region championship by defeating top-seeded and injury-riddled California 85-69 at Hamer Hall.
California had its season end with a 30-4 record and plenty of thoughts of what could have been with a healthy lineup.
Virginia Union (26-4), meanwhile, advances to the Elite Eight next week in Columbus, Ohio.
California played again without five injured players including senior point guard Miki Glenn, a 2,000-point scorer; and senior forward Lana Doran, who like Glenn was a starter on the Vulcans’ national championship team two years ago. The Vulcans also were without sophomore guard Morgan Jennings, one of their top reserves. All three were out with knee injuries.
The Vulcans also were hampered when forward Shatara Parsons suffered a leg injury in the first half. She left the game in the third quarter and returned moments later but was clearly not at full strength. Also, Bailey Cooper, a freshman guard and Ringgold graduate, took an elbow on the forehead early in the fourth quarter that opened a nasty gash. She was taken to the locker room and did not return.
At times, California played with as many as three freshmen on the court.
“You never want to end a season on a loss because they’re tough to take,” California head coach Jess Strom said. “I don’t think this game defines us. This game wasn’t who we are. … We had some younger kids who played well in roles they weren’t ready for and it wasn’t their fault. They were just put in positions they weren’t ready for.”
California used big offensive games by junior forward Seairra Barrett to defeat Glenville State and Mercyhurst in the first two rounds of the regional. However, with Virginia Union doing a good job defensively against Barrett, the Vulcans didn’t have enough offensive firepower to keep pace with the Panthers. Virginia Union sat in a sagging 1-2-2 zone the entire game. Cal never forced the Panthers out of the zone as it made only one of nine three-point shots and shot 35 percent for the game.
“That’s the first time we’ve seen a zone defense as long and athletic as that,” Strom said. “Playing without our point guard, it took us time to get settled on offense.”
Walker, who also had 10 rebounds, dominated play inside when Virginia Union had the ball. She scored 20 of her 32 points in the first 2½ quarters as the Panthers forged a 20-point lead.
California got off to a lousy start, missing its first seven shots. The Vulcans fell behind 13-6 before getting a spark from Cooper, who played in only two regular-season games but scored in double figures in each of the first two regional games. Cooper’s basket started a 6-0 run that pulled Cal to within 13-12.
“We wanted to take the wind out of their sails early,” said Virginia Union coach AnnMarie Gilbert. “We knew they were playing with different pieces and without their floor general at point guard.”
The teams traded baskets for the rest of the quarter, which, at times, was played at an NBA-like pace. Virginia Union led 19-16 after one quarter.
The Panthers led 23-18 before going on an 8-0 run with Walker scoring six points. Virginia Union led by as many as 14 points late in the second quarter and took a 37-26 lead into halftime.
Virginia Union had a whopping 68-38 edge in points in the paint. The Panthers attempted only one three-pointer.
“We knew California’s emphasis is in the paint. That was our focus on defense,” Martin said. “We wanted them to shoot from outside and I don’t think they ever figured out the zone. We kept sagging deeper and deeper. I got mad whenever we stepped out past the foul line on defense.”
Cal shot only 27 percent in the first half but the Vulcans were able to stay within striking distance by grabbing 12 offensive rebounds and using an attacking half-court trap to force 14 Virginia Union turnovers.
Virginia Union dominated the third quarter, making 10 of 16 shots to take a 63-42 lead into the final 10 minutes.
“We weren’t getting back in transition, and that’s on us,” Strom said.
Cal made one final run, scoring nine of the first 11 points to close to within 65-51 but that was as close as the shorthanded Vulcans could get until the game’s final minute. Cal’s comeback was hurt by seven missed free throw in the fourth quarter. For the game, Cal made 20 of 31 free throws and committed 27 turnovers.
Parsons led three Vulcans in double figures with 21 points. Barrett finished with 19 points and Precious Martin had 13.
“It was a hard road to get to the championship,” AnnMarie Martin said. “I commend Cal for being a great team and model for us to follow. We’ve followed them for some time and we know they were not at full strength but they have heart. They played for each other.”
Virginia Union played without its leading scorer, junior guard Brittany Jackson, a transfer from Georgia Tech. Jackson, who averages 18.4 points per game, did not make the trip to California for the regional. She was suspended for violating team rules. … Walker was named MVP of the regional. Barrett and Parsons were selected to the all-tournament team. … Virginia Union won despite committing 32 turnovers. …Cal was playing in the regional championship for the eighth time. …The Vulcans entered the game with a 15-1 record in NCAA tournament games at Hamer Hall.