Cal men, women lose in quarterfinals
INDIANA – Having a hard time stopping Armoni Foster and finding any consistency shooting were the biggest problems for the California University men’s basketball team Wednesday night.
Foster scored a game-high 33 points for top-seeded Indiana. The Vulcans then shot just 33% from the field in a 80-63 quarterfinal loss in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament at the Kovalchick Complex.
It was the second of two quarterfinal losses for Cal. In the opener, the women’s team fell to top-seeded Indiana in overtime, 68-65.
The successful night from Foster was the third time he got the best of the Vulcans this season, scoring 17 and 24 points in the two regular season games. Wednesday topped the two earlier performances as he made 12 of 17 shots, including five three-pointers, and grabbed six rebounds in the win.
IUP (26-2) first took a double-digit lead midway through the first half after going on a 18-point run. The Crimson Hawks led 34-25 at halftime.
Brent Pegram led Cal (19-11) with 20 points.
IUP, 68-65, OT
Courtney Alexander led four Indiana players in double figures with 17 points and Natalie Myers scored five of her 13 points in overtime.
Alexander made five of the Crimson Hawks’ nine three-pointers.
Cal (21-9), which must wait until Sunday night to see if it will receive an at-large berth to the NCAA Division II tournament, led 32-29 at halftime. IUP (27-2), ranked No. 7 in the nation, battled back and took a 13-point early in the fourth quarter.
The Vulcans made a late charge behind freshman Olivia Hudson, who scored a game-high 25 points. Hudson made a three-pointer that gave Cal a 59-58 lead with 56 seconds left in regulation. She added two free throws with 19 seconds remaining to push the gap to 61-58.
Myers, however, forced overtime by making a three-pointer.
Once in OT, Cal was held to only one field goal and four points. IUP took the lead for good midway through the overtime on another three-pointer by Myers.
Cal’s D.J. Hahn scored all of her 13 points in the first half.