•
Box Score
•
PSAC Championship Tournament Bracket
CALIFORNIA (Feb. 28) – Behind double-doubles by junior guard
Brooque Williams (Pittsburgh, Pa./Perry) and sophomore forward
Kayla Smith (Elkins, W.Va./Elkins), the No. 3 Vulcans clinched the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division regular-season title outright with an 84-52 victory over conference-newcomer Mercyhurst College on Senior Day at Hamer Hall on Saturday.
The California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team finished the regular season at 24-3 overall and 12-1 in league action. The Vulcans have won at least a share of the PSAC West regular-season title seven times in the last eight seasons; however, Cal U last won an outright divisional crown in the 2005-06 season. The Lakers finished their first year in the conference with a 4-10 divisional mark and 10-17 overall record.
In the quarterfinals of the PSAC Tournament, the top-seeded Vulcans will host fourth-seeded Clarion University on Tuesday, March 3. The game is set for a 7 p.m. start at Hamer Hall. The winner of the quarterfinal game will then face either Kutztown University or Millersville University in the semifinals on Friday, March 6, at the highest remaining PSAC East team in the tournament.
Williams registered her 19th double-double of the season with 27 points and 10 rebounds. The 5-8 guard made 13-of-22 attempts from the floor and collected eight steals and four assists. She scored 17 of her game-high 27 points in the second half after making 8-of-11 shots from the field.
Smith finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds (seven offensive) for her seventh double-double of the year. The West Virginia native added three assists and three steals in the win, while shooting five-of-nine from the floor and five-of-five from the free-throw line.
Senior guard
Lindsay Johnson (New Springfield, Ohio/Springfield) added 17 points and seven rebounds (five offensive), while classmate
Shaquetta Mance (Flint, Mich./Hamady) posted 12 points. Senior point guard
Crystal Andrews (Johnstown, Pa./Johnstown/Pitt-Johnstown) finished with nine points, seven assists and four steals.
Leading 18-12 midway through the first half, Cal U mounted a 19-5 rally over a nine-minute span to increase its first-half lead to as many as 20 points, 37-17, with 3:31 remaining. The Vulcans eventually took a 39-26 halftime lead after scoring 22 points off turnovers and 11 second-chance points in the opening half.
The Lakers trimmed the deficit to 11 points, 45-34, in the opening minutes of the second half before the Vulcans sealed the victory with a 20-2 run over six minutes to take a 65-36 advantage with 11:05 left in the game. Cal U stretched its lead to as much as 35 points, 82-47, with 2:48 remaining.
After shooting 59 percent in the second half, the Vulcans finished the game shooting 48.1 percent (37-of-77) from the floor. Meanwhile, the Lakers managed to post a .419 field-goal percentage (18-of-43) after making eight three-pointers.
Cal U held a 45-31 edge on the glass and scored 54 points in the paint. Behind a game-high eight steals by Williams, the Vulcans collected 21 steals after forcing Mercyhurst in 31 turnovers. In comparison, Cal U tied a season-best with only 11 turnovers.
Cal U returns to action in the PSAC Quarterfinals on Tuesday, March 3, against Clarion with a 7 p.m. tip-off at Hamer Hall. The Vulcans swept the regular season series with the Golden Eagles this season, winning the two games by an average of 35-plus points.
The Vulcans have qualified for the last nine PSAC Tournaments, claiming a league-best four PSAC titles in that span.
