Jan 24, 2015 4 min read

CALIFORNIA – They came to the Convocation Center Saturday afternoon to remember, to grieve and to heal. Two hours later, the members of California University’s women’s basketball team also had a victory, but that might be the least important footnote from the “most difficult week of their lives.”

Playing at home for the first time since 21-year-old senior forward Shanice Clark was found dead early Sunday after having aspirated gum while sleeping, the Vulcans cried, played and ultimately defeated pesky Slippery Rock, 74-63, in a PSAC West Division game.

It capped a week like no other at Cal. One that left them overdrawn at the emotions bank.

“Our kids are resilient,” Cal head coach Jess Strom said, “but they’ve never really been in situations in which they have to test their mental toughness anywhere but on the basketball court. This week, they were put in the hardest situation of their lives. To get back on the court Thursday and Saturday tested the character and heart of these players. A lot of them had a hard time just coming back into this building.”

Clark was taking a medical redshirt this season after injuring her knee in one of the first practices of the preseason. The Toronto, Ontario, native played in 24 games last year and averaged 2.9 points per game after transferring to Cal from a junior college in Florida.

The Vulcans (12-2, 15-3) played their first game since Clark’s death Thursday night at Gannon, where they had a second-half rally fall short in a 71-63 loss. The game was pushed back one day from Wednesday and the Vulcans did try to have a practice before playing but “it wasn’t good,” according to Strom.

Prior to tipoff against Slippery Rock, the Vulcans and a crowd of 937 – the largest for a women’s game since the first one played at the Convocation Center three years ago – watched a slideshow of Clark from last season on the overhead video board and observed a moment of silence. Cal’s players, wearing T-shirts with Clark’s name and jersey number (44) on the back, locked arms as they stood at the foul line. Some cried. Others bowed their head.

Perhaps it helped that Terri Piatak, one of the three officials, discovered seconds before tipoff she had left her whistle in the locker room. The two minutes it took her to retrieve the whistle might have helped the Vulcans regain their focus and composure following the short but emotional pregame ceremony.

The Vulcans came out hot from the perimeter as Emma Mahady and Kaitlynn Fratz each made a trio of three-pointers early in the game. Cal forged a 32-18 lead after Mahady beat the shot clock with a three-pointer.

“We played with energy, but it was a different kind of energy,” said Fratz, a senior guard who scored 20 points. “Thursday’s game was a nervous feeling. It was our first game without (Clark) and we had to get it out of the way. This game was at home, and it was an opportunity to feel joyful. It was still a very different kind of game.”

Slippery Rock (3-11, 7-11) went on a 15-2 run and pulled to within 34-33 before a free throw by Irina Kukolj gave the Vulcans a two-point lead at halftime.

“The focus, as you can imagine, was not what it should be,” said Strom. “I tried to be more upbeat. This entire situation makes you realize what is really important. How can I yell at a kid for not boxing out when she just lost one of her best friends? You hope a basketball game can help them release some stress. You hope they can channel it into 40 minutes.”

Cal played a solid 20 minutes in the second half, steadily pulling away from The Rock by getting contributions from everybody. Mahady matched Fratz with 20 points, point guard Miki Glenn had nine points and nine assists, and Sierra Barrett came off the bench to score seven important points down the stertch.

D’Asia Chambers scored a game-high 21points for Slippery Rock.

While the healing will continue for the Vulcans, Strom knows there is no blueprint for turning a difficult situation into a season that includes a successful postseason run. There are no sessions at coaching clinics or chapters in books that cover dealing with the unexpected death of a much-liked team member.

“This was the worst week of my life,” Strom said. “It was the worst week of their lives. I’ve never been around someone dying so young and so unexpectedly. It feels like we’re living in a dream, like we’ll wake up and this didn’t happen. You think this can’t be happening to us.”