Mar 3, 2020 4 min read

It is no surprise that the women’s basketball teams from California University and Indiana will meet tonight in the quarterfinals of the PSAC tournament.

After all, Cal and IUP are two highly successful programs that seem to be joined at the hip. The Vulcans and Crimson Hawks typically meet once, and sometimes twice, each postseason. So tonight’s (5:30 p.m.) matchup at IUP’s Kovalchick Complex is old stuff.

What is new is Cal will be playing IUP in the men’s quarterfinals. Tip-off for that game is 7:30 p.m. in Indiana.

There was a time when the Vulcans and Crimson Hawks had the premiere programs in the PSAC’s West Division, but they had gone in different directions over the past decade. This will be the first postseason meeting for Cal and IUP since the 2012 quarterfinals.

Cal (19-10) got here by winning in the conference tournament for the first time since 2008, defeating Gannon 74-58 in the first round Monday at the Convocation Center. Getting this far is quite the accomplishment for Cal under second-year head coach Danny Sancomb.

IUP (25-2), however, is used to being in this position. The Crimson Hawks are the top seed in the tournament and had a first-round bye. IUP is ranked No. 7 nationally in Division II and No. 1 in the Atlantic Region.

“We don’t have any pressure on us,” Sancomb said following the victory over Gannon. “(IUP) has all the pressure. They’re battling for the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Region.”

The Vulcans lost both regular-season matchups against IUP but there were plenty of positive stretches for Cal. The Vulcans had a stunning 22-4 lead less than nine minutes into the game at IUP but the Crimson Hawks battled back and won, 86-69.

In the rematch at the Convocation Center, IUP pulled out a 79-70 win.

“The final score in that game was deceiving,” Sancomb said, noting that it was a three-point game with 3½ minutes to play.

“We played them tough twice, we just have to finish. To beat them, we have to beat them. They rarely beat themselves.”

That means Cal must play the kind of defense it did against Gannon, when it held the Golden Knights to 2-for-18 shooting from three-point range. Gannon shot 29% in the second half.

Cal also must keep point guard and leading scorer Brent Pegram out of foul trouble, something they were unable to do in the first trip to IUP.

IUP is 15-0 at home and has four players averaging in double figures, led by Armoni Foster at 19.1 points per game and Malik Miller at 18.7.

Women’s game

IUP (26-2) is the top seed and sports the best regular season and conference records (21-1) in program history.

The Crimson Hawks’ lone loss in PSAC play was at Cal, 57-52, on Feb. 12. It snapped IUP’s 19-game winning streak.

This time, the game will be played at IUP, where the Crimson Hawks are 81-8 over the last six seasons. IUP defeated Cal 76-61 at the Kovalchick Complex in January, but Cal coach Jess Strom says her young team is more experienced and better prepared for this trip to Indiana.

“Our younger kids have gained a lot of experience. We’re young, but we’ve gained experience. We have 29 games of experience,” she said.

Cal (21-8) advanced with a 67-53 win over Pitt-Johnstown in the opening round. The Vulcans have lost to IUP in each of the last three postseasons but are 12-6 against the Crimson Hawks during coach Tom McConnell’s tenure.

IUP is the top-ranked team in the region. Strom said getting to the conference quarterfinals might be enough for the Vulcans to gain a berth to the Division II tournament. Cal is ranked seventh in the region.

“The win helps because we are right on the bubble,” Strom said. “What helps us is we had big wins early over Charleston and Virginia Union, plus the win over IUP.

Notes

With the win over Pitt-Johnstown, Strom tied Darcie Vincent as the winning coach in Cal women’s basketball history with 212 victories. … One of the assistant coaches for the IUP women is former Washington High School and Duquesne University standout Jocelyn Floyd.