• Box Score

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Dec. 30) – In its first action in nearly three weeks, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team fell 68-63 at Charleston (W.Va.) on Thursday evening.

With the loss, the Vulcans drop to 5-3 on the season. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles improve their record to 7-4 after winning three of their last four games.

Junior guard Danielle Luckett (Chicago, Ill./James Hubert Blake (Md.)) led three Vulcans in double-digits with 14 points on 7-of-12 from the field. It marked the fifth time this season that Luckett has scored in double-figures. The Chicago native currently ranks third on the team in scoring with a career-high 13.4 points per game.

Senior forward Kayla Smith (Elkins, W.Va./Elkins) added 11 points and 10 rebounds (five offensive), marking her 49th career double-double. Freshman Elena Antonenko (Moscow, Russia/State University of Physical Education) scored in double-digits for a consecutive game by chipping in 10 points off the bench.

The two teams entered halftime tied at 37-37 despite the Vulcans shooting nearly 57 percent in the first half. Cal U took its last lead of the game, 45-44, following a lay-up by junior forward Amy Johns (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) with 11:44 remaining. Charleston countered with a 15-2 rally over a span of nearly seven minutes to take a 59-47 lead at the 4:56-mark.

Cal U responded with a rally of its own, out-scoring Charleston 12-3 over the next three-plus minutes to cut the deficit to 62-59 with 1:24 left in the game. The Vulcans were unable to get any closer, as they missed their next four shots and the Golden Eagles went on a 6-0 run to seal the win.

The Vulcans finished the game shooting 45.0 percent (27-of-60) from the floor despite making only 1-of-12 (8.3 percent) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles made 41.3 percent (26-of-63) of their shots and 8-of-16 (50.0 percent) from three-point territory.

Cal U held a sizeable 45-34 advantage on the glass and registered seven blocks, but committed 25 turnovers in the loss. The Vulcans also collected 15 assists with a team-high four from freshmen guards Ryah Gadson (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) and Kate Seebohm (Millicent, Australia/Millicent).

Charleston had four players score in double figures with senior guards Lindsay Kenter and Tiani Beatty each scoring 17 points. Senior forward Tarena Dixon added 16 points and senior guard Ali Tobias tallied 12 points on four-of-four from three-point range and recorded a game-high eight assists.

The Vulcans return to action on Monday, Jan. 3, when they travel to face Mansfield in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover play.