• Box Score

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. (Feb. 24) – The California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team secured the second seed and a home quarterfinal game in next week's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament following a 77-63 win at Slippery Rock on Wednesday evening. The win also marked the Vulcans' ninth-consecutive season with at least 20 victories.

The Vulcans improve to 20-6 overall this year and 10-3 in league play with one game left in the regular season. Meanwhile, The Rock falls to 6-20 overall with a 3-10 record in divisional action. Cal U has won all 17 meetings against Slippery Rock since the 2002-03 campaign. The win also marked the 200th career victory for first-year head coach Mark Swasey, who is in his 11th overall season as a head coach.

Cal U will now host third-seeded IUP in the quarterfinals of the PSAC Tournament on Tuesday, March 2, at 7 p.m. The Vulcans swept the season series with the Crimson Hawks, who are the three-time defending PSAC Champions.

Senior guard Brooque Williams (Pittsburgh, Pa./Perry) scored a game-high 27 points and moved into eighth place all-time in PSAC scoring with 2,061 points. She is only 57 points shy of surpassing former All-American Sara McKinney as the program's all-time leading scorer. Williams also grabbed eight rebounds and collected four assists in the win over The Rock.

Junior Kayla Smith (Elkins, W.Va./Elkins) recorded her 21st double-double of the year after finishing with 21 points and 13 rebounds (six offensive) after playing all 40 minutes. She made 10-of-15 attempts from the floor and added six assists and two blocks on Wednesday evening. Smith now ranks seventh in school history with 872 career rebounds, as she moved past Cal U Athletic Hall of Famer Lisa Scott.

Redshirt sophomore forward Amy Johns (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport/Xavier) added 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting and six rebounds (four offensive). Senior Crystal Andrews (Johnstown, Pa./Johnstown/Johnstown) finished with eight points, seven rebounds and four assists on Wednesday. Andrews moved passed McKinney for fifth place all-time with 427 assists.

Cal U appeared to be in position to cruise in the second half after holding a 36-21 lead with 2:53 left before halftime. However, The Rock mounted a 13-0 run to close the half and trim the deficit to only two points, 36-34.

Slippery Rock maintained its momentum early in the second half by taking its first lead of the game, 39-36, with 18:20 remaining. The Vulcans countered by scoring nine-straight points over a two-plus minute stretch to reclaim a 45-39 advantage. The game remained in single digits until Cal U scored the final 10 points to finish with a 77-63 victory.

In the win, Cal U shot 50 percent in the second half to finish the game shooting at a 47.0 clip (31-of-66). In comparison, Slippery Rock made less than 30 percent of its shots after halftime and finished the game with a .381 field-goal percentage (24-of-63).

Senior guard Julie Malloy scored a team-high 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field for Slippery Rock and added four assists and four steals. Classmate Chere' Marshall finished with 11 points and five rebounds in the loss.

The Vulcans dominated from in close, out-rebounding The Rock by a 50-29 margin and scoring 42 points from inside the paint. Cal U also collected 20 offensive rebounds that it converted into 26 second-chance points. The Vulcans registered 18 assists on 31 field-goals made on Wednesday.

Cal U concludes its regular season on Saturday, Feb. 27, when it travels to face Mercyhurst for a 1 p.m. start at Erie, Pa. The Vulcans have won all three meetings against the Lakers since they joined the PSAC last year.