Box ScoreCALIFORNIA, Pa. - Senior forward
Jessica Martin scored a career-high 28 points, but No. 25-ranked California (Pa.) jumped out to a 16-point halftime lead and held off East Stroudsburg University for a 71-62 win in PSAC women's basketball on Wednesday night.
Martin surpassed her previous career-high of 22 points and moved into 11th at ESU with 1,056 career points, a week after becoming the 14th 1,000-point scorer in program history.
She had 11 points, tied her career-high with 20 rebounds and blocked seven shots to become ESU's career leader in a 59-45 win over Seton Hill in ESU's most recent game on Sunday.
Emma Mahady scored 24 points, Irina Kukolj had 17 points and eight rebounds and Miki Glenn added 10 points for California (12-2, 9-1), which remains one game behind undefeated IUP for the top spot in the PSAC West.
ESU (5-9, 4-6) trailed by as many as 20 points in the second half and by 17 (60-43) with 10:00 remaining before closing the margin to nine with an 8-0 run over the next four minutes, but Cal responded every time ESU cut the deficit to single digits.
Martin scored 17 points in the second half, including 11 of the Warriors' final 17 in the last 10 minutes.
Redshirt senior guard
Andrea Veres scored nine points on three three-pointers, junior guard
Melissa Poderis scored nine points (all in the second half), sophomore forward
Allison Howard scored seven points and junior guard
Helena Gemmell had six in her first action since December 3 at Shippensburg.
California used a 12-0 run midway through the first half to open a 21-7 lead and held a 38-22 advantage at halftime.
ESU shot 48.9 percent (22-for-45) and was 4-for-9 from the three-point line and 14-for-17 at the foul line.
Martin was 10-for-17 from the field and 8-for-9 at the foul line, setting a career-high for field goals made and tying her career-high for made free throws.
California shot 40.0 percent (24-for-60), 3-for-9 from long distance and 20-for-27 at the foul line. The Vulcans led by PSAC in turnover margin at more than eight per game and held a 21-12 edge in turnovers.
ESU is idle this weekend and returns to PSAC East action at Cheyney on Wednesday, January 14.
