IUP zones Cal out of playoffs
Courtesy of Cal U.
California University’s Bianca Jasper goes for a layup against IUP. Jasper scored seven points for the Vulcans in their playoff loss to Crimson Hawks.
GLENVILLE, W.Va. – Late in the third quarter of the NCAA Division II women’s basketball Atlantic Regional final, California University had stolen the momentum with its fast-paced style of play.
The Vulcans had erased a 10-point deficit and tied the score.
IUP players looked tired. They were having trouble staying in front of Cal’s driving guards, Abbey Sporio and Bianca Jasper.
Crimson Hawks head coach Tom McConnell even said his all-everything guard Carolyn Appleby “was gassed.”
So McConnell decided to gamble. He called for the Crimson Hawks to switch from their man-to-man defense to a zone in an attempt to stop Cal’s dribble penetration and make the Vulcans shoot from long-range.
“The last time we switched to a zone against Cal, they made 10 three-pointers,” McConnell pointed out.
This time, IUP zoned Cal right out of the postseason.
IUP’s defensive switch sparked a game-changing 11-0 run by the Crimson Hawks, covering the end of the third quarter and the first three minutes of the fourth, and sent them to a 68-60 victory over Cal on Monday night at Glenville State College’s Waco Center.
The win moves IUP (29-3) to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year and ends Cal’s season with a 26-6 record.
“Switching to the zone was a combination of things,” McConnell explained. “First, we were battling foul trouble and weren’t going to our bench as deep as Cal was. (Cal) had gone on a run and was doing a good job of dribble penetration.
“The last time we went zone, they hit 10 three-pointers, so there was no telling how many would go in this time.”
The answer was none, until Emily Suckling made a three with eight seconds left in the game for Cal’s final points. The Vulcans were 0-for-13 from three-point range until that point.
“I am proud of our effort. It wasn’t pretty at times,” Cal coach Jess Strom said. “We couldn’t make a shot. All I can ask of our players is for them to play as hard as they can.”
Cal had defeated IUP twice during the regular season but that was when the Vulcans had Jiahna Flood-Francis. She scored 34 points over the two wins against IUP but did not play in this one. Flood-Francis sat out her fourth straight game with a stress fracture in her foot.
Without Flood-Francis, Cal simply didn’t have the outside shooting to beat the IUP zone or enough peimeter defense to slow down Appleby and sweep a three-game season series.
During the regular season, Appleby was 5-for-24 with 13 turnovers against the Vulcans. With a regional title on the line, the senior guard scored a game-high 24 points and had four assists.
Her biggest baskets came after Cal made its final surge and closed to within 57-53 and IUP called a timeout with 4:12 remaining. Appleby then made two jumpers that stretched the lead to eight points and Cal never threatened again.
“We picked up our intensity in the second half,” Strom said. “If you let IUP do what they want, they’re so good that they’re going to score. We just couldn’t make a shot.”
The first half was fast-paced, well-played and marked by terrific shooting by each team. Brittany Robinson scored 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting as the Crimson Hawks led 36-33 at intermission. IUP never trailed in the first half, when it shot 56 percent.
Cal shot 55 percent and battled back from a 10-point deficit (25-15) one possession into the second quarter. The Vulcans pulled to within 32-31 late in the half after an 11-4 run that included four points by Seairra Barrett.
Cal, however, did not have an offensive rebound in the first half.
“Our team is all about effort,” Strom said. “For us to half zero offensive rebounds in a half is not good. We stressed at halftime to go get the ball. We did that in the second half, we had about five offensive rebounds in one stretch, but we couldn’t score off them.”
Cal had a whopping 15 offensive rebounds in the second half but made only 12 field goals. The Vulcans shot 49 percent for the game and didn’t score in the fourth quarter until DJ Hahn’s layup with 6:12 left that cut IUP’s lead to 54-47.
Barrett and Abbey Sporio each scored 19 points for Cal. Both players fouled out. Sporio left with 5:40 remaining and IUP up 57-47.
Barrett and Sporio were named to the all-regional team. IUP forward Brittany Robinson, who had 16 points and nine rebounds against the Vulcans, was named the regional’s outstanding player.
Lexi Griggs had 11 points for IUP.
“We’re disappointed,” Strom said. “You come into every game wanting to win. … But our season was a huge success. We exceeded everybody’s expectations.”