When Seton Hill upset Cal in early January at the Convocation Center, Shatara Parsons did not play. The Lady Griffins probably wish Parsons did not play in the rematch at Greensburg yesterday.
Parsons scored a game-high 23 points and 13 rebounds to help the Vulcans cruise to an impressive 76-46 win over Seton Hill, to exact revenge from a month ago. California (18-5, 15-4) has now won seven straight games and maintained sole possession of first place in the PSAC West.
Once again, it was Parsons and fellow classmate Seairra Barrett dominating the opponent on both sides of the court. Barrett added 20 points and 10 rebounds which helped the Vulcans annihilate the Lady Griffins on the boards, 40-28. Cal started strong again jumping out to a 14-2 lead over the Lady Griffins in the first quarter and did not look back from there. The Vulcans relentlessly hammered Seton Hill on defense, forcing 25 turnovers, and scored 36 points off those turnovers.
Seton Hill (13-12, 9-10) never got within 18 points in the second half after Cal brought the lead over 20 in the 3rd quarter, and saw the Vulcans grow their lead to as much as 30 points in the 4th quarter. The Lady Griffins had just one player in double-digit scoring for the contest, with Jenna Kaufman scoring 13.
Cal now will travel to Erie on Wednesday for a huge matchup against the Gannon Lady Knights. The Vulcans will try to win in the Hammermill Center for the first time since Jan. 2011, and lock up a first-round bye in the PSAC playoffs. Seton Hill will travel to Erie on Wednesday for a key matchup against the Mercyhurst Lakers. With the Lady Griffins losing two straight, they now hold the final playoff spot in the PSAC west behind the Lakers.
IUP 90 Slippery Rock 75: IUP saw an astonishing three players score more than 20 points in the win over the Rock, the first time that has ever been done in program history. Leslie Stapleton led the way with a career-high 28 points and was complimented by two more career-high single-game point totals from Zhane Brooks and Megan Smith cashing in 25. The Crimson Hawks (18-6, 15-5) 10 3-pointers and season-high 31 4th quarter points was eventually too much for a desperate Rock squad, that now sits two games out of the final playoff spot with three games to go. Slippery Rock (11-14, 7-12) had multiple players score 20-plus points with Lexi Carpenter going for 26, and Ciara Patterson for 20. IUP now turns its attention for some revenge Wednesday night at home against a Pitt-Johnstown squad that upset it in January. The Rock is in must-win mode and will take on Clarion at home Wednesday.
Edinboro 80 Clarion 49: Edinboro locked up a first-round home PSAC playoff game with a dominant 80-49 win over the Clarion Golden Eagles. The Fighting Scots used three straight 3-pointers to break the Golden Eagles back early and built the lead throughout. Edinboro (18-8, 13-7) led by 11 at halftime and used a 16-4 run to push the lead over 20 points, and went as high as 32. Aignee Freeland led the attack with 18 points and eight rebounds and was followed by 17 points from Lauren Hippo. Two more Scots made it to double-digit scoring as well. Clarion (8-18, 8-12) was led by a double-double from Tania Holmes, despite shooting 33.3 percent as a team for the game. Edinboro will get Wednesday off before their home regular season finale against Seton Hill next Saturday, and Clarion travels to Slippery Rock for a key matchup Wednesday.
Mercyhurst 65 Pitt-Johnstown 60: The Lakers held off a ferocious fourth-quarter Lady Cat rally to leap-frog Seton Hill for fifth place in the PSAC, with a 65-60 win over UPJ. Mercyhurst (12-13, 9-10) comfortably built a lead in the first half, holding UPJ to just five points in the second quarter. UPJ (7-18, 4-15) relentlessly fought back in the second half, but could not overcome 22 turnovers and seven Laker three-pointers. Four Lakers finished with double-digit point totals led by 14 points from Jalin Steel, and a pair of 12-point performances from Natalie Piagessi and Adrienne Kloecker. UPJ was led by unsung hero, Jamie Tabon, who scored a team-high 16 points and career-high 15 rebounds. Mercyhurst will now look to defend their 5th place standing against Seton Hill at home Wednesday, while the Lady Cats travel to IUP seeking another upset over the Crimson Hawks.
