• Box Score

ERIE (Feb. 27) – Senior guard Brooque Williams (Pittsburgh, Pa./Perry) tied her season high with 30 points on Saturday afternoon, as the Vulcans finished the regular season with an 88-57 victory at Mercyurst in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.

After winning its last five games, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team closed the regular season with a 21-6 overall record and an 11-3 mark in league action. The Vulcans have earned a second seed in next week's conference tournament and will host rival and third-seeded IUP on Tuesday, March 2, at 7 p.m. Meanwhile, the Lakers close their second year in the PSAC with a 12-14 overall mark and a 4-10 record against PSAC West opponents.

Williams posted her 11th career 30-point game on Saturday after shooting 13-of-21 from the floor and four-of-four from the free-throw line. The 5-8 guard is now only 27 points shy of surpassing the school-best total of 2,117 points set by former All-American Sara McKinney. Williams also collected four rebounds and four steals against the Lakers.

Junior forward Kayla Smith (Elkins, W.Va./Elkins) finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds (six offensive) and six assists at Mercyhurst. The West Virginia native moved passed 1996 Cal U Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Lisa Scott for eighth place in all-time in scoring with 1,481 points. Smith also eclipsed 2009 Hall of Famer Sameera Philyaw for sixth with 883 career rebounds.

Redshirt sophomore Amy Johns (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport/Xavier) made seven-of-nine attempts from the field to finish with 14 points. The 5-10 sophomore also registered seven rebounds and five assists in the victory. Freshman guard Stephanie Michael (Morgantown, W.Va./Morganitown) hit three three-pointers to finish with nine points, while sophomore guard Danielle Luckett (Chicago, Ill./James Hubert Blake) added seven points and three assists off the bench.

Senior guard Crystal Andrews (Johnstown, Pa./Johnstown/Johnstown) posted five points, seven assists and five steals in the final regular-season game of her career.

Cal U jumped out to an early 12-3 lead after Johns and Michael combined to score the first 12 points of the game for the Vulcans. Midway through the first half, the Vulcans stretched their lead to as many 15 points, 29-14, with 8:06 left before the break after mounting an 11-3 run over three-plus minutes. Mercyhurst countered with a rally of its own, trimming the deficit to 36-28 before Cal U scored eight of the final 11 points in the half to take a 44-31 lead into halftime.

In the opening minutes of the second half, the Vulcans took a 58-38 lead following a three-point play by Williams with 15:35 remaining. Cal U maintained its sizeable lead throughout the second half, leading by as many as 31 points, 88-57, after a lay-up by Johns with 1:25 left in the game. The Vulcans closed game on an 11-2 run, which spanned nearly six minutes.

Cal U posted its best shooting performance of the season, making an impressive 61.7 percent (37-of-60) of its shots. The Vulcans also finished with one of their best outings from long range, shooting 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from three-point territory. Meanwhile, the Lakers finished with a .429 field-goal percentage (24-of-56) after making just 1-of-11 from beyond the arc in the second half.

Junior Samantha Loadman led Mercyhurst with 16 points after making four treys and classmate Amy Achesinski added 12 points and eight rebounds in the loss.

The Vulcans were out-rebounded for only the seventh time this year, as the Lakers held a 33-28 edge on the glass. However, Cal U finished with a sizeable 46-26 advantage in points in the paint. The Vulcans pressured Mercyhurst into 32 turnovers that resulted in 18 steals and 37 points off turnovers.

Cal U will make its 10th-straight appearance in the PSAC Tournament on Tuesday, March 2, when it hosts IUP. The Vulcans swept the season series with the Crimson Hawks, but IUP has won the last three post-season meetings.