Glenn’s big-time effort seals Cal’s win
Miki Glenn holds up a piece of the net Sunday after winning the PSAC championship.
Cal’s Morgan Jennings and Shatara Parsons celebrate after the Vulcans beat IUP Sunday to win a second consecutive PSAC championship.
Cal’s Shatara Parsons, left, fights with IUP’s Zhane Brooks for possession of the ball during the first half of Sunday’s game.
Cal’s team celebrates with their plaques and trophies Sunday after winning the PSAC championship against IUP 62-52.
Cal’s Precious Martin is defended by IUP’s Kendall Hunter Sunday in the first half.
Cal’s Precious Martin and Shatara Parsons celebrate Sunday after winning the PSAC championship.
Cal’s Miki Glenn celebrates with fianceé Jessica Self moments after the Vulcans won their second consecutive PSAC championship. Glenn surprised Self with a proposal after the win by having her teammates hold a sign that read “Jess, will you marry me?”
CALIFORNIA – The calendar tells us this is March, the time of year when high-caliber college basketball players deliver clutch performances in championship settings. They are big-time players who come through in big-time situations.
Then there is California University junior point guard Miki Glenn, who took clutch performances, big games and memorable days to a new level Sunday afternoon.
Glenn scored a game-high 30 points, which included a 12-for-12 performance at the free-throw line, and led California to a 62-52 victory over Indiana in the PSAC tournament championship game at Hamer Hall.
If Glenn’s performance with the basketball in her hands wasn’t impressive enough, she was drawing accolades from teammates and coaches for her tenacious defense. She was assigned the difficult task of guarding IUP’s Leslie Stapleton, who is the Crimson Hawks’ leading scorer and scorched Cal for 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting back in January. All Glenn did this time was hold Stapleton without a field goal and to only one point.
For her solid all-around play during Cal’s three victories, Glenn was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
To top off the big day, Glenn got engaged – on the court, after the game, just before the Vulcans cut down the nets.
It’s the second consecutive conference title – and record-tying sixth overall – for California (24-5), which extended its winning streak to 13. The Vulcans, the defending NCAA Division II champions, gained the PSAC’s automatic berth to the national tournament that starts Friday. Cal received the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Region and will play seventh-seeded Chowan (20-8) in Richmond, Va.
“I am so proud of this team. We won the (PSAC) last year, but that was with a more experienced group. We had Lana (Doran) and Brittany (Nelson) go down with torn ACLs in the preseason, we have another player injured and had another quit the team. You have to remember, there is only one returning starter on this team.”
That one player is Glenn, who is the PSAC West Division’s Player of the Year. In three tournament games, Glenn scored 73 points and made 29 of 30 free throws.
“It’s very difficult to stop her because she’s so good with the basketball in her hands,” IUP coach Tom McConnell said. “There’s not many players in our league like her who can create her own shot. She has great body balance. She is able to drive, finish and draw fouls. And when we forced her to give up the basketball, she was able to get it back.”
Glenn made perhaps the two biggest plays in the game. The first was in the closing seconds of the first half, after IUP (21-8) used an 18-0 run to turn a 20-6 deficit into a 25-20 lead. Glenn made a driving three-point play that gave Cal a 31-29 lead and some much-needed momentum at halftime.
Then, Glenn opened the second half with another drive and three-point play that gave the Vulcans a 34-29 advantage. Two baskets by sophomore forward Shatara Parsons helped Cal extend its lead to nine points before IUP pulled to within 45-42 after three quarters.
The fourth quarter belonged to Glenn, Parsons and Cal’s man-to-man defense. Parsons, who scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, scored seven of Cal’s first nine points as the Vulcans opened a 56-47 advantage. Five of Parsons’s fourth-quarter points came after offensive rebounds. The Vulcans had a whopping 18 offensive rebounds.
“We had a very difficult time keeping them off the offensive glass,” McConnell said. “They do a great job of flying in and creating extra possessions.”
The Crimson Hawks closed to within 56-51 but that was as close as they could get as Cal kept the ball in Glenn’s hands down the stretch. She converted eight free throws in the fourth quarter.
The Vulcans held IUP to 10 fourth-quarter points on 4-of-14 shooting. Zhane Brooks and Megan Smith each scored 17 points for IUP and Carolyn Appleby came off the bench to score 15. Brooks and Appleby got into foul trouble and sat out part of the fourth quarter.
The key number in IUP’s scoring column was Stapleton’s one point, which is 15 under her per-game average.
“We beat a good team and held their best player to one point. When you do that, you’re going to win,” Glenn said.
Though Cal won the PSAC and is defending national champion, the Vulcans had little chance to host the Atlantic Regional. Cal was ranked third in the region entering last week. No. 1 Virginia Union (25-2) won the CIAA tournament and will host. IUP received an at-large berth as the No. 8 seed and will play Virginia Union.
“I don’t care where we go,” Strom said. “I’m just happy that we’re in the NCAA tournament. I’m confident with my group. We’ll be prepared. This is the best time of year – it’s March Madness.”