CALIFORNIA (Jan. 10) – Behind a career-high 40 points, senior guard Lindsay Johnson (New Springfield, Ohio/Springfield) scored her 1,000 career point on Saturday at Hamer Hall and helped lead the No. 8 Vulcans to a 100-58 victory Cheyney University in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action. The California University of Pennsylvania women’s basketball team improves to 10-2 overall after winning eight of their last nine games. With the loss, Cheyney falls to 5-3.
Johnson becomes the 22nd player in program history to join the 1,000-point club, joining teammate Brooque Williams (Pittsburgh, Pa./Perry) who reached the milestone on Wednesday. Johnson finished the game with 40 points on 14-of-21 attempts, including six-of-eight from beyond the arc. The 40 points ranks her second in single-game school history behind only the record 64 scored by Lara Thornton in 1994.
Johnson torched the Wolves for 27 points in the first half after making five three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes. The Ohio native also collected six rebounds (four offensive), five assists and two steals in the win.
Williams finished with her fourth-straight and ninth double-double of the season after posting 19 points and a season-high 16 rebounds (four offensive). She also finished with three assists and three steals. Williams now ranks No. 18 in school history with 1,025 career points after surpassing Dodi Champan (1,021) and Annie Malkowiak (1,009), now an assistant coach with the Vulcans. Sophomore forward Kayla Smith posted her second double-double of the season after registering 18 points and 10 rebounds (five offensive).
The Vulcans jumped out a 25-11 lead with 12:40 left before halftime after Johnson drilled four three-pointers in the opening seven-plus minutes of the game. After a Cheyney basket, Cal U expanded its lead to 36-13 with 8:52 remaining in the opening half. The Vulcans eventually worked the lead to 36 points, 58-22, before entering the break with a 58-28 advantage.
In the opening four minutes of the second half, the Wolves cut the deficit to 60-34 before the Vulcans mounted a 17-2 rally to expand their lead to 77-36 with 10:11 remaining. Cal U led by as many as 47 points, 90-43, with 5:38 left before posting its second-straight and third 100-point game of the season.
The Vulcans tied a season high with 10 three-pointers and shot 50.7 percent from the floor, making 35-of-69 attempts. Meanwhile, the Cal U defense allowed Cheyney to shoot only 34.8 percent (23-of-66) from the field and just 18.8 percent (3-of-16) from beyond the arc.
Cal U dominated on the glass, out-rebounding Cheyney by a 54-32 margin with 21 offensive rebounds that were converted into 23 second-chance points. The Vulcans also scored 31 points off turnovers after forcing the Wolves into 25 turnovers.
Cal U continues PSAC Crossover play tomorrow, Sunday, Jan. 11, when it hosts rival Shippensburg University, who moved into the PSAC Eastern Division this season with the recent expansion of the conference. Tip-off is set for a 1 p.m. start at Hamer Hall.