California University women, men sweep IUP
CALIFORNIA – There’s no better way to celebrate an “Alumnae Day” than with a doubleheader sweep against your biggest rival. California University of Pa. did just that as its men’s and women’s basketball teams both were victorious against Indiana University of Pa. on Saturday at Hamer Hall.
The Vulcan women upended the PSAC West-leading Crimson Hawks in the first game, 63-54, as Dani Mills came off the bench to score a season-high 21 points.
The Vulcan men maintained their one-game lead in the standings with a 67-46 win in the nightcap thanks to a balanced scoring attack led by Connellsville graduate James Hairston’s 12 points.
“Winning this game helps us in so many different ways, but most of all, it’s IUP,” Cal women’s coach Darcie Vincent said. “The alumni were all beating into their heads, too … ‘Don’t lose to IUP,’ so they knew a lot of pride was riding on this game.”
The victories meant a lot more than just one-upping an archrival, though, for both Cal teams.
On the men’s side, Edinboro and Shippensburg won earlier games on Saturday, so the Vulcans (19-5, 7-2) needed a victory to remain in sole possession of the PSAC West lead.
On the women’s side, the Vulcans (17-7, 6-3) needed a win to clinch a spot in the conference tournament, solidify their hold on second place and keep alive any hopes they have of earning a sixth consecutive PSAC West regular-season title. They pulled within 11/2 games of IUP (18-7, 8-2) and stayed one-half game ahead of Shippensburg (16-9, 6-4), which defeated Slippery Rock on Saturday.
California plays a doubleheader at Shippensburg on Monday.
The Vulcan men were coming off an upset loss at Lock Haven last Saturday, which cut their two-game lead in half. They swiftly took care of business against Indiana (6-18, 3-7), however, seizing control of the game early on and maintaining a double-digit lead throughout the second half.
Hairston played a fine all-around game, hitting all five of hits shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, while also totaling five rebounds, four assists and a steal with no turnovers.
The former Falcon star hit a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to give Cal a 35-21 halftime advantage, and the Vulcans led by as much as 21 in the second half.
John Owens tallied 11 points for California and Theron Colao added 10 points. The Vulcans had six different players with seven or more points, and four different players with five or more rebounds.
“That’s what we like,” Hairston said of the team effort. “Once we get the ball moving and rotating on offense, guys get comfortable, especially on our home court.”
Vulcans coach Bill Brown was happy to put the Lock Haven loss behind him.
“Any loss is tough, but the way that one happened was almost like being in the twilight zone,” Brown said, recalling his squad allowing a 25-point run in losing a 16-point lead. “This win was important because it allows us to still control our own destiny. We’re playing for home court because the PSAC tournament is hosted by the West. Our goals haven’t changed. We want to win the PSAC West and win the PSAC tournament.”
His players, especially the four seniors, weren’t lost on the significance of beating their rivals one last time.
“They realize the clock is ticking and they want to finish off their careers in a positive manner,” Brown said.
The Cal men are ranked third in the NCAA Division II East Regional Rankings
The Vulcan women rode a strong defensive effort to victory, holding the Crimson Hawks to their second-lowest output of the season, and preventing them from clinching first place.
Cal, thanks mainly to a “32 match-up” and a triangle and two, allowed only two points in a span of 6:52 to turn a 24-22 deficit into a 31-26 lead and never trailed again.
“I’m very, very happy with our team right now,” Vincent said. “The defense did a wonderful job with what we were trying to do today.”
The Vulcans avenged a 69-50 loss at IUP on Jan. 27.
“Now we’re still in the running for the PSAC West title,” Vincent said. “At least we handled our business as best as we could.”
Staci Heberling scored 13 points to lead Indiana, which was fifth in the NCAA Division-II East Regional Rankings entering the game. Cal was at No. 8.
The Crimson Hawks’ top scoring threats, Katie Glaws and Jahzinga Tracey, were held to combined 21 points.
Bre Dillon totaled 13 points and seven rebounds for Cal.
Kim Nowakowski, playing her second game in a row after missing three straight due to injury, recorded her 12th double-double of the season with 12 points and 16 rebounds. She also moved into 10th place on the Cal women’s career scoring list.