• Box Score

INSTITUTE, W.Va. (Nov. 17) – Junior forward Kayla Smith (Elkins, W.Va./Elkins) scored a career-high 43 points on Tuesday night, as the No. 3 Vulcans cruised to a 104-67 season-opening victory under first-year head coach Mark Swasey.

The California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team has won its last three and seven of its last eight season-openers. Last year, West Virginia State finished with a 15-14 overall record and advanced to the quarterfinals of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) Tournament.

Smith finished with 43 points on 15-of-22 shooting from the field and 13-of-17 from the free-throw line. She also collected 18 rebounds (12 offensive), six blocks, three steals and two assists in 31 minutes. Smith opened the game with 26 points and 10 rebounds (eight offensive) while playing 17 minutes in the first half. The 43 points rank her second in single-game school history behind only the record of 46 points scored by Lara Thornton in 1994.

Senior point guard Crystal Andrews (Johnstown, Pa./Johnstown/Pitt-Johnstown) also recorded a double-double against the Yellow Jackets, finishing with a career-high 22 points and 10 assists. She made 9-of-12 attempts from the floor and finished with five steals in the season-opener. Classmate Brooque Williams (Pittsburgh, Pa./Perry) posted 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 21 minutes at West Virginia State.

In their first games with the Vulcans, freshmen Mona Rowe (Morgantown, W.Va./University) and Megan Kermond (Adelaide, Australia/Unley) scored nine and eight points, respectively, off the bench.

Cal U scored the opening basket of the game and never trailed in the contest, taking an early 9-1 lead on a tip-in by Smith with 17:56 left in the first half. After West Virginia State scored the next four points, the Vulcans scored 12 unanswered points to take a 23-7 lead after Andrews converted a three-point play. With five minutes left in the first half, Cal U scored eight-straight to increase its lead to 20 points before taking a 54-34 lead into halftime.

In the first half, the Vulcans shot an impressive 61.8 percent (21-of-34) from the floor and held an astounding 22-9 advantage on the glass. Cal U also forced West Virginia State into 17 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes and converted the turnovers into 23 points.

The Vulcans opened the second half on 16-6 run in the first five minutes to take a 70-40 on a tip-in by Smith. West Virginia State eventually trimmed the deficit to 77-60 before Cal U finished the game on a 27-7 rally to take a 104-67 lead.

For the game, Cal U made 59.4 percent (38-of-64) of its shots from the field and 68.6 percent (24-of-35) from the free-throw line. In comparison, West Virginia State shot 38.7 percent (24-of-62) from the field and 41.7 percent (5-of-12) from beyond the arc.

The Vulcans dominated on the glass, out-rebounding the Yellow Jackets by a 48-26 margin. With 22 second-chance points, Cal U excelled from in close by scoring 60 points from in the paint and recorded 10 blocks.

Cal U returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 21, when it hosts Charleston (W.Va.) at Hamer Hall. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.