Mar 10, 2017 By The 2 min read

California (Pa.) placed five players in double figures and held on at the end for an 88-86 win over Glenville State in a women’s NCAA Division II first-round game Friday at Hamer Hall.

The win boosts the Vulcans into a 7:30 p.m. Saturday game against Mercyhurst, a 63-51 winner over Shippensburg later Friday. Earlier Friday, Indiana (Pa.) beat John C. Smith, 59-55, and Virginia Union upended Wheeling Jesuit, 66-58.

Those two winners also meet at 5 p.m. Saturday at Hamer Hall prior to the Cal-Mercyhurst game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday’s winners meet at 7 p.m. Monday for a trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

The Vulcans (29-3) got 29 points and 18 rebounds from Seairra Barrett and 20 points and 14 rebounds from Shatara Parsons, but that accounts for only 67 percent of Cal’s double-doubles in this game. Abbey Sporio scored 12 points and dished 11 assists to complete the rare triple double-double for the Vulcans.

Also scoring in double figures for Cal were freshman Bailey Cooper from Ringgold, who netted 13 in 34 minutes off the Cal bench, and Precious Martin, who scored 10.

Kristin DesRocher paced Glenville State (24-6) with 25 points in her 26 minutes off the Pioneers bench. Also scoring well off the Glenville State bench was Paris McLeod, who netted 13 in 19 minutes. Erika Toney and Maya Home scored 11 each among the starters and McLeod grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double.

It was a back-and-forth game until the final quarter, when Cal built a 15-point lead, 83-68, with 3:52 remaining. But Glenville State kept playing and outscored the host Vulcans, 18-5 down the stretch. The Pioneers scored the final three points, however, with only one tick left on the clock and the Vulcans advanced.