Cal women in key PSAC playoff win over Rockets
CALIFORNIA – Darcie Vincent finally got her team to listen to her after one half of play. The California University of Pa. coach did some listening of her own, too, at that point.
All that listening was transferred into actions in the second half, which propelled the Vulcans to a 52-39 victory over Slippery Rock in the quarterfinals of the PSAC Women’s Basketball Playoffs at Hamer Hall on Tuesday night.
Kim Nowakowski scored a game-high 14 points and Megan Storck hit a pair of 3-pointers in tallying 12 points to go along with 10 assists as California improved to 24-4 on the season.
The win allows Cal, ranked fourth in the NCAA East Region, to host the tournament final four. The Vulcans play defending tourney champion Millersville in one semifinal at 8 p.m. Friday. The PSAC championship game will be at Hamer Hall at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
California shook off a lackluster first half by turning up the defense and executing a flowing offense after intermission.
The key was movement on offense, according to Vincent.
“We just went to a motion look and you could see how many easy shots we got at the basket,” said Vincent, whose team hit 15 of 33 shots following the break after dropping in only nine of 25 attempts in the first half.
It was the type of offense Vincent was preaching to her team all week and all through the first half.
“This game is more mental than people realize,” Vincent said. “We wanted them to pass and cut, pass and cut, but it took 20 minutes for that to sink in. I kept saying you have to move, you have to attack, you have to cut to the basket, and they finally did that in the second half.”
Vincent admitted she needed some convincing of her own to make the decision that turned the tide on defense.
“I wanted to stay with our trapping and pressing, but my assistant coach kept telling me to go to our match-up zone,” said Vincent, referring to associate head coach Heather Kearney. “I had to swallow my stubbornness and we finally made that switch at halftime.”
The change bogged up the Rock’s offense, which was shut out the first 6:58 of the second half. Slippery Rock (13-15) actually went a span of 10:46 without scoring after Angela Grease’s basket gave it a 20-14 lead with 3:48 left in the first half.
Cal didn’t allow another point until Dana Stewart scored with 13:02 left in the game.
“The key was we continued to play for the full 30 seconds (of the shot clock) on defense,” Vincent said.
Slippery Rock (13-15) lost both regular-season meetings to Cal, but took the Vulcans to overtime in a 57-54 loss at Hamer Hall on Feb. 6.
The Rock’s biggest lead was six on this night as it was on top most of the first half, controlling the game with a deliberate offense and an effective zone defense.
Cal scored the final seven points heading into the break, however, to grab a 21-20 halftime lead.
Lisa Gottuso ignited the spurt with a driving lay-up and a three-point play on a pass from Storck. Storck also fed Nowakowski inside for a basket with two seconds left to put the Vulcans in front to stay after Amber Kister had blocked a shot at the other end.
After adjusting its offense, four different California players scored in an eight-point run to open the second half. Nowakowski hit a short jumper before the Vulcans perfectly executed a fast break after a Rock missed shot as Gottuso rebounded and passed to Storck who quickly dished to Keris Timol for a lay-up.
Storck hit Kister cutting to the basket, then made a pull-up jumper herself to make it 29-20.
After Stewart’s basket brought Slippery Rock’s drought, Greaser hit a 3-pointer to make it 29-25.
The Rock could never get any closer, though.
Storck answered with consecutive buckets and Nowakowski scored inside to put the Vulcans up 35-25 and they remained in control the rest of the way.
California didn’t allow a double-digit scorer as KellyAnn Staudinger came off the bench to lead Slippery Rock with nine points.