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Box Score
ERIE (Jan. 13) – In one of the top games in the country and a rematch of last year’s NCAA Division II Sweet 16, the No. 19 Vulcans dropped a 75-72 overtime thriller to No. 4 Gannon on Wednesday evening in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West-opener for both teams in front of over 1,100 people at the Hammermill Center.
With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania women’s basketball team falls to 10-4 overall with three of its four losses coming in the last six games. Meanwhile, Gannon remains undefeated at 17-0 overall and extended its regular-season win streak to 27 games.
Senior guard
Brooque Williams (Pittsburgh, Pa./Perry) registered a game-high 24 points and tallied a double-double with 10 rebounds (five offensive). She made 11-of-27 shots from the floor and two-of-five attempts from the free-throw line. The Pittsburgh native added three assists and four steals in 44 minutes. Williams (1,816) also joined former Vulcan standouts
Sara McKinney (2,117) and
Lara Thornton (1,892) as the only players in school history to score at least 1,800 career points.
Classmate
Crystal Andrews (Johnstown, Pa./Johnstown/Pitt-Johnstown) finished with 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. She shot 8-of-16 from the field and made four-of-four from the charity stripe. After battling early foul trouble, senior forward
Kayla Smith (Elkins, W.Va./Elkins) posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds (offensive). Smith moved pass former teammate
Lindsay Johnson (1,263) for 10th place in all-time scoring with 1,270 points.
In regulation, Cal U broke a 61-61 tie by scoring seven-unanswered points to take a 68-61 lead after Andrews made a pair of free-throws. However, Gannon mounted its own 7-0 rally over the final 2:35 of regulation to force the game into overtime. In the final two-plus minutes, Cal U failed to seal the victory after missing two jumpers and a pair of one-of-one free-throws.
In overtime, the teams exchanged early leads before senior guard Kristina Freeman made a pair of free-throws with 2:22 left to give Gannon a 71-70 lead. Freeman increased the lead to 73-70 on the next Golden Knights’ possession after making a jumper before Williams countered with a basket for Cal U. The Vulcans then looked to claim the lead after forcing a turnover with 40 seconds left, but were unsuccessful despite grabbing three offensive rebounds before the Golden Knights added an insurance basket with less than one second left.
The two teams were evenly matched in almost every category with Gannon shooting 44.8 percent (26-of-58) from the field and Cal U making 43.7 percent (31-of-71) of its shots. The biggest discrepancy was from the free-throw line as the Golden Knights shot 78.3 percent (18-of-23) while the Vulcans made only 46.2 percent (6-of-13).
Freeman, an All-PSAC West First-Team selection last year, led the Golden Knights with 19 points and nine rebounds, while senior guard Carrie Nolan finished with 17 points and six assists. Classmate Tiffany Crocker directed the offensive with a game-high seven assists.
The Vulcans out-rebounded the Golden Knights by a 44-36 margin behind 17 offensive rebounds. Williams and Andrews collected seven of the 10 steals by Cal U, who committed 16 turnovers.
Cal U returns to the court on Saturday, Jan. 16, when it hosts Lock Haven in PSAC West action. The game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start at Hamer Hall. Last year, the Vulcans swept the season series against the Bald Eagles after rallying from an 11-point halftime deficit at Lock Haven.
Notes:
The game against the Golden Knights featured a combined 14 lead changes and six ties … The attendance of 1,141 is believed to be the largest crowd for a women’s game at the Hammermill Center … The game marked the first overtime contest for the Vulcans since the 2009 PSAC Tournament Championship against IUP … Cal U is 3-3 in overtime games since the 2002-03 season.