Rally sends Cal U. women to next round
Cal point guard Miki Glenn finished with 14 points, including 11 in the second half as the Vulcans defeated Chowan un the first round of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Friday at Virginia Union.
Forward Shatara Parsons led Cal with 18 points and nine rebounds.
RICHMOND, Va. – Sophomore forward Shatara Parsons scored 18 points, leading five California University players in double figures, and the defending national champion Vulcans overcame a halftime deficit to defeat Chowan, 80-70, in a turnover-filled game Friday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Division II women’s basketball Atlantic Regional at Virginia Union’s Barco-Stevens Hall.
California (25-5) squandered a double-digit second-quarter lead and trailed 47-43 at halftime. The Vulcans regained the lead in the third quarter, then held Chowan (20-9) to only 10 points in the fourth quarter.
The Vulcans advance to today’s second round and will play West Liberty (28-4) at 5 p.m. The Hilltoppers moved on with an 85-70 victory over Shaw in the opening game of the eight-team regional.
Cal was able to overcome much to win, including 21 turnovers. The game was played in a gymnasium that does not have air conditioning, which made for a slippery playing surface that caused many players to slip and fall.
The Vulcans did force 25 Chowan turnovers. Cal shot 43 percent from the field in the second half, when they did a better job of handling the basketball. The Vulcans had only five turnovers in the second half.
“I don’t think that was the prettiest of games,” California coach Jess Strom said. “There were a lot of turnovers. We’re not used to that. I think we did do a great job of forcing turnovers. The kids did a good job of fighting through an ugly game and finding a way to win.”
Parsons made eight of 12 shots and was a rebound shy of a double-double. Junior point guard Miki Glenn scored 11 of her 14 points in the second half, when Cal erased a six-point deficit. The Vulcans took a 58-57 lead on a jump shot by Glenn with three minutes left in the third quarter. The Vulcans never trailed again, though Chowan did pull even at 60-60. Cal used an offensive rebound and basket by Precious Martin to take a 62-60 lead after three quarters.
“There was a point in the second quarter when (Chowan) had a lot more energy than we did. They were getting offensive rebounds, forcing turnovers and getting layups,” Strom said. “We had to refocus and slow down, play our game. They sped us up a bit.”
Cal opened the second quarter with a 6-1 run to open a 68-61 lead. Chowan made one final push and closed to within 68-67 after consecutive baskets by Jordan Payne, who scored 19 points. The Vulcans then pulled away, scoring seven straight points, including a key three-point play by redshirt freshman guard Morgan Jennings, who came off the bench to give Cal a big lift by scoring 11 points.
Glenn secured the win by converting five of six free-throw attempts and making a 15-foot jumper, all in the final 2:05.
Martin and Seairra Barrett each scored 16 points for Cal, which has won 14 in a row. Glenn finished with 14 points and eight assists.
Alisha Mobley scored a game-high 25 points for Chowan but she was limited to three points in the pivotal fourth quarter. Jada Lee had 13 points.