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Box Score
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Photo Gallery
CALIFORNIA (Jan. 20) Junior forward Kayla Smith (Elkins, W.Va./Elkins) collected her 12th double-double of the season on Wednesday night, as the No. 21 California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team cruised to a 73-53 victory against Clarion at Hamer Hall in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.
With the win, the Vulcans improve to 12-4 and 2-1 in divisional play. Cal U has won 14 of the last 17 meetings against Clarion dating back to the 2002-03 season. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles drop to 9-7 this season and 0-3 in league action.
Senior guard
Brooque Williams (Pittsburgh, Pa./Perry) led three players in double figures with a game-high 19 points. She also collected seven rebounds, three assists and seven steals in the win. The All-American guard moved into third place in school history with 905 career rebounds and is also only four steals short of eclipsing the all-time mark with of 359 steals held by
Megan Storck (2003-06).
Smith finished with 17 points behind 11-of-13 from the free-throw line and registered a game-best 15 rebounds (six offensive). The All-PSAC West forward, who is the only player averaging a double-double in the league, also posted three steals and one block.
Senior point guard
Crystal Andrews (Johnstown, Pa./Johnstown/Pitt-Johnstown) added 11 points, four assists and six steals in the win. Redshirt freshman guard
Kiara Brown (Ambridge, Pa./Ambridge) scored eight points off the bench, while forward
Amy Johns (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) finished with four points, five rebounds and three steals.
After a slow start to the game, Cal U mounted a 13-2 run over a five-minute span to take a 17-8 lead with 12:31 left before halftime after a lay-up by Williams. The Vulcans seized control of the game by out-scoring the Golden Eagles with a 17-2 rally late in the first half. Cal U took a 40-21 lead into the break after scoring 19 points off turnovers and 13 second-chance points in the first half.
Midway through the second half, the Vulcans stretched their lead to 30 points, 59-29, on a 15-2 run and hitting 7-of-10 attempts from the field. Later in the half, Williams expanded the lead to as many as 31 points, 64-33, with 9:36 remaining.
Cal U finished the game shooting 35.6 percent (26-of-73) from the field and 85.0 percent (17-of-20) from the free-throw line. In comparison, Clarion finished shooting at a 36.4 clip (20-of-55), but just 18.8 percent (3-of-16) from beyond the arc.
Senior guard Lizzie Suwala scored a team-high 15 points for the Golden Eagles, while sophomore forward Aleya Miller finished with 12 points off the bench.
The Vulcans held a 45-39 advantage on the glass and collected 17 offensive rebounds that led to 20 second-chance points. Cal U also forced Clarion into a season-high 27 turnovers and scored 37 points off turnovers.
Cal U returns to the court on Saturday, Jan. 23, when it travels to face Edinboro at 1 p.m. Last year, the Vulcans swept the series with the Fighting Scots for the fourth time in the last six seasons.