CALIFORNIA, Pa. – All five starters scored in double figures for the Edinboro University women's basketball team, but turnovers and foul trouble finally caught up to the Fighting Scots as they dropped a 64-61 nail biter to the Western Division top seed and fifth-ranked California(Pa.) on Wednesday night at the Convocation Center. The Fighting Scots now sit at 21-9 overall and await their fate in regards to the NCAA Tournament. Edinboro was ranked ninth in the latest NCAA Atlantic Region Poll. The Vulcans improved to 27-2 and advanced to the semifinals on Saturday, March 4, to take on the winner of tonight's Millersville-East Stroudsburg contest.
Two of the season's three meetings between the two teams have been decided by less than five points as Cal took home a 75-71 victory in the last meeting.
The Fighting Scots tied a season-high with 25 turnovers, leading to 23 points for the Vulcans. Edinboro also committed 25 fouls in the contest, leading to 23 points from the charity stripe for Cal as they finished 23-of-31 from the line. The Fighting Scots shot just nine free throws in the contest, going 5-for-9. Despite the miscues, Edinboro remained within striking distance until the very end.
Wednesday's contest featured 15 lead changes and 10 ties. Every time one team seemed poised to pull away, the other would make a run of their own. One such occasion occurred in the third quarter with the score tied at 42-42. The Vulcans scored four straight points, before a
Cheniya Sharpe layup followed by a
Jontay Walton 3-pointer gave Edinboro the lead at 47-46.
Tied at 55-55 with 2:44 remaining in the contest, the Vulcans went on a 7-2 run to take a five-point lead at 62-57 with 38 seconds remaining. A Sharpe layup halted the run and cut the deficit to a one possession game. A pair of Abbey Sporio layups grew the lead back up to five points before
Michelle Jahn free throws made it a one possession game at 64-61 with eight seconds left.
Forced to foul, the Fighting Scots put Seairra Barrett at the line and she missed both shots and Sharpe grabbed the rebound to give Edinboro one last chance to tie, but unfortunately the Vulcans forced one final turnover to advance in the tournament.
Edinboro held the nation's sixth-highest scoring team to just 31.7 percent (19-of-60) shooting and 3-of-7 3-pointers. The 64 points is the second-lowest output of the season for the Vulcans, second only to Edinboro's dominant 71-54 drubbing in the season's first meeting.
Ciara Rosten led Edinboro with 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting and pulled down six rebounds before fouling out late in the contest. Walton made her third straight start in place of the injured
Michaela Barnes and finished with 13 points.
Katie Fischer and Jahn each finished with 11 points. Fischer dished out eight assists and Jahn grabbed a season-high six rebounds.
Sharpe turned in another solid all-around performance in her fourth straight start in place of the injured
Nicole Johnson. Sharpe finished with 10 points and a team-high nine boards.
The Vulcans were led by Precious Martin's 19 points, nine coming from the charity stripe. Seairra Barrett finished with nine points and 11 rebounds. The PSAC's leading scorer Miki Glenn suffered an injury early into the contest and played just five minutes, finishing with two points.
The Fighting Scots shot 48.1 percent (26-of-54) from the floor, but connected on just 4-of-17 3-pointers. Edinboro was edged on the glass by a slim 38-37 margin, including a 20-12 differential in offensive boards. Cal held a 19-11 advantage in second chance points.
