• Box Score

ERIE (March 6) – Despite a season- and career-high 31 points by senior guard Crystal Andrews (Johnstown, Pa./Johnstown/Pitt-Johnstown), the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team suffered a 77-68 loss to No. 1 Gannon at the Hammermill Center in the championship game of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament on Saturday night.

With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 23-6 this season after having made their 10th-conseuctive appearance in the PSAC Finals (4-6). Meanwhile, the Golden Knights remain the only undefeated team in the nation with a 33-0 record en route to claiming the PSAC title in only their second year in the conference.

The Golden Knights began the week ranked No. 1 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Top 25 poll and first in the NCAA Atlantic Region while the Vulcans were second in the region. The win likely solidifies Gannon as one of the two hosts for the NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament which begins Friday, March 12. Announcement of the 64-team field and host sites will be announced tomorrow, Sunday, March 7, via NCAA.com at 9 p.m. In addition to Gannon, automatic bids to the Atlantic Regional Tournament were also earned by WVIAC champion Fairmont State and CIAA champion Fayetteville State (N.C.). The remaining five at-large bids will be announced on Sunday.

Andrews led all players with a career-high 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting, including four-of-seven from three-point territory. The 5-7 guard scored 16 of her 31 points in the second half when the Vulcans were attempting to erase an eight-point halftime deficit. Andrews also moved into third place in school history with 317 career steals, surpassing the total set by All-American Sara McKinney (2002-05).

In the loss, senior Brooque Williams (Pittsburgh, Pa./Perry) finished with 18 points to move into fifth place in PSAC history with 2,162 all-time points. The All-American guard made only 8-of-20 attempts from the floor for the game and posted nine rebounds. Williams also now ranks second in league history with 416 steals, trailing only the record of 420 steals set by Millersville's Gema Robles (1999-03).

Redshirt sophomore forward Amy Johns (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport/Xavier) added 11 points and six rebounds at Gannon. Over the last seven games, she has averaged 13.4 points per game after averaging less than eight points in the first 23 games of the season.

Battling foul trouble for most of the game, junior forward Kayla Smith (Elkins, W.Va./Elkins) finished with a season-low two points and collected seven rebounds – over five less than her season average.

Nearly eight minutes into the game, the Vulcans held a 17-13 lead after a tip-in by Williams with 12:52 left in the first half. However, Gannon then mounted a 21-2 rally after holding Cal U to only one made field-goal over an eight-plus minute stretch. Cal U responded by scoring nine-unanswered points to cut the deficit to 34-28 after Andrews hit a three-pointer with 1:51 left before the break. The two teams traded treys before senior guard Tiffany Crocker, who named PSAC Tournament MVP, made a pair of free-throws in the final minute to give the Golden Knights a 39-31 halftime lead.

Cal U cut the deficit to four points, 41-37, with 16:35 left in the game after a pair of buckets by sophomore guard Danielle Luckett (Chicago, Ill./James Hubert Blake). The Golden Knights worked their lead back to double-digits, 57-46, before the Vulcans scored four-straight point to trim the lead to 57-50. Gannon then scored seven-unanswered points to take a 64-50 on a jumper by Crocker with 7:44 left in the game.

Cal U continued to rally back as a three-pointer by Andrews capped a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 64-59 with 5:45 remaining. After the Golden Knights increased their lead back to 11 points, the Vulcans scored seven-straight points to make it a 70-66 contest with 1:06 left in the game after a jumper by Williams. Gannon scored seven of the final nine points in the game to seal the victory.

The Vulcans finished the game shooting at a 43.8 clip (28-of-64) from the floor, while the Golden Knights made 45.5 percent (25-of-55) of their shots. However, the Golden Knights held sizeable advantages in both three-point percentage (.421; 8-of-19) and free-throw percentage (.704; 19-of-27).

Crocker was selected the PSAC Tournament MVP after scoring a career-high 27 points (22 in the second half) and collecting nine assists in the championship game. Senior Kristina Freeman added 14 points, while classmate Brittany Tabron posted 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds

Gannon also out-rebounded Cal U by a 41-37 margin after collecting 16 offensive rebounds. The Vulcans collected 11 steals and forced the Golden Knights into 22 turnovers – one of their highest totals of the season.

The Vulcans now will wait to see their fate in regards to the NCAA Tournament via the NCAA Selection Show at NCAA.com tomorrow, Sunday, March 7, at 7 p.m.