CALIFORNIA, Pa. – The West Virginia State University women's basketball team was defeated, 79-58, by No. 9 California (Pa.) on Tuesday night at Cal U's Convocation Center.
West Virginia State drops to 3-7 overall and remains at 2-4 in the Mountain East Conference following the defeat. Meanwhile, California improves to 8-1 on the season and stays at 2-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference after the win.
Sophomore guard
Charity Shears posted a team-high 22 points, shooting 5-of-10 from three-point range. Teammate
Chloe Cheresne recorded her fourth double-double of the season by grabbing 10 rebounds and scoring 11 points.
The Yellow Jackets got off to a slow start in the opening period. The Vulcans, on the other hand, came out firing on all cylinders and took a 16-point lead, 27-11, with a last-second layup at the end of the first quarter.
Scoring on both ends was hard to come by in the second period. West Virginia State managed to outscore California, 14-8, after closing the first half with seven unanswered points. A three-pointer by
Charity Shears was bookended by two-point field goals from
Destiny Fields and
Alexis Hall. WVSU went into the locker room down by 10 points, 35-25.
Long scoring droughts were prevalent in the third quarter much like the second quarter. The Vulcans forced enough turnovers to swing the momentum back in their favor. They outscored the Yellow Jackets, 19-9, to increase their advantage going into the final period. West Virginia State faced a 20-point deficit at the end of the third period, 54-34.
WVSU did not go down without a fight in the fourth quarter. The Yellow Jackets finally found an offensive rhythm and put up 24 points as a team. Cal U's offense was also in rhythm and put up 25 points to fend off the late surge.
The Vulcans outrebounded the Yellow Jackets, 53-33, and came up with 16 steals, compared to six by West Virginia State.
The Yellow Jackets return to Institute for another non-conference matchup against Salem University on Friday, Dec. 20. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
