Cal women advance to NCAA regional championship game
CALIFORNIA – Last Sunday, California freshman Megan Storck made a pair of free throws in the final seconds to beat West Chester in the PSAC championship game. Saturday night, Storck made a free throw with 11.6 seconds left to clinch a 62-58 win over West Chester in the NCAA II East women’s regional.
Sure, it was a case of d?j? vu all over again.
“Before she went to the line, I tried to joke with her a little bit and calm her down,” said California coach Darcie Vincent. “I told her it was d?j? vu, and to just seal it off again like she did up there.”
The free throw wasn’t all that reflected the freshman’s cool. Storck made her first field goal of the game, a 3-pointer, with 1:52 left that gave California a 57-56 lead. It was the biggest basket of the game, not only because it was her only conversion in 11 attempts, but it halted a West Chester rally that appeared to be rolling full steam ahead.
West Chester had rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit, and a seven-point deficit with 9:20 remaining, before Storck stopped the momentum in its tracks with the 3-pointer. She then fed center Suzie Gyarfas for an easy basket and a 59-56 lead with 31 seconds left. The free throw then iced the win and made the freshman an unlikely hero.
“She’s a young kid and they’re prone to (up and down) games like that,” Vincent said. “When she was 0 for 9, I told her to keep on shooting. In the next four years, I really don’t think I’m going to tell her not to shoot.”
The win moved California (31-1) into the championship game of the regional Monday at 7 p.m. against Glenville State. The game is an anticipated rematch of last year’s regional title game won by Glenville State, 78-58.
“I absolutely love this – a game in Division Two basketball that’s being hyped up,” said Vincent, who didn’t miss the fact that Glenville State had more fans in the California gym Saturday night than California did.
“There should be a quota on people coming up from West Virginia,” she said. “I think it’ll be a great atmosphere. All of Western Pennsylvania’s excited; all of West Virginia’s excited. I’m glad we’re a part of it. I’m also glad our students will be back from spring break. If I have to stand on the corner and recruit fans, I will.”
“I’ve been waiting for this game for a year,” said California’s Sara McKinney, who scored 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds last night. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything. I’d play with a broken back.”
The response drew gasps from the California coach and players at the post-game press conference because California star player Becky Siembak has been battling low back problems. She played last night and scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
“My back was feeling really good tonight,” said Siembak. “Adrenaline’s a great thing. Once I was out there and heard the crowd cheering, that was all I noticed. I was able to ignore everything else.”
A 12-point first half by Siembak allowed California to build its 10-point lead. Kiera Manlove, West Chester’s senior forward, led the rally that was eventually halted by Storck. Manlove finished with 16 points to lead West Chester. California’s leading scorer was Gyarfas with 17. The 6-foot-9 senior center also blocked three shots to set a career record at California with 125.
“I may have scored 17 points but I thought I was horrible,” Gyarfas said in her thick Hungarian accent. “But I’m happy it happened this way. Some of my baskets surprised me. They tried to beat me up.”