• Box Score

CLARION, Pa. (Feb. 23) – Behind a 23-5 run over the final eight-plus minutes, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team posted a 72-58 victory over Clarion on Wednesday evening at Tippin Gymnasium in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.

With the win, the Vulcans improve to 19-6 overall and are only one victory shy of recording their 10th-consectutive 20-win season. Cal U, who is ranked fourth in the latest the Atlantic Region rankings, remains tied with IUP for second place at 10-3 in the divisional standings entering the final weekend of the regular season. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles fall to 7-18 this year with a 4-9 mark in PSAC West play.

Sophomore Stephanie Michael (Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown) led all scorers with a season-high 16 points (10 second half) after shooting 5-of-11 from the field, including four-of seven from beyond the arc. The 5-6 guard has scored at least 10 points in three of the last four games and reached double-figures eight times this season.

Forwards Amy Johns (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) and Kayla Smith (Elkins, W.Va./Elkins) each recorded double-doubles against the Golden Eagles. Johns finished with 11 points while shooting just 5-of-19 from the floor and collected 13 rebounds (eight offensive). Smith tallied 10 points on 5-of-12 attempts and tied her season high with 18 rebounds (seven offensive) on Wednesday. The 5-11 senior is now only 14 points shy of becoming the third 2,000-point scorer in school history.

Junior guard Danielle Luckett (Chicago, Ill./James Hubert Blake (Md.)) also scored in double figures at Clarion, finishing with 11 points, while freshman guard Kate Seebohm (Millicent, Australia/Millicent) totaled eight points and seven assists.

With an impressive start from the field, the Golden Eagles led by as many as nine points, 31-22, with 4:53 left in the first half. Cal U then scored on three-straight possessions to cut the deficit to 31-29 with 2:56 remaining before Clarion took a 36-29 lead into halftime.

In the second half, the Golden Eagles led by four points before the Vulcans seized momentum of the game when Michael made a pair of free-throws, 53-51, after Clarion was issued a technical foul at the 8:18-mark. Seebohm then tied the game before Luckett gave Cal U its first lead of the second half, 55-53, with a layup with 7:28 remaining. The Vulcans then allowed the Golden Eagles to make only one field-goal for the rest of the game and Cal U scored 17 of the game's final 22 points.

After making less than 30 percent of their shots in the first half, the Vulcans finished the game shooting at a 35.8 clip (29-of-81) from the field. In comparison, the Golden Eagles shot over 50 percent with six three-pointers in the first half before finishing the game with a .412 field-goal percentage.

Cal U dominated on the glass, out-rebounding Clarion by a 57-29 margin with a gaudy 30 offensive rebounds that were converted into 26 second-chance points. The Vulcans also held a 36-22 advantage in points inside the paint and scored 27 points off turnovers.

In the loss, freshmen Emma Fickel and Lauren Savulchak each scored a team-high 15 points for Clarion, while classmate Ann Deibert added 13 points and three assists.

Cal U closes out the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 26, when it travels to face Lock Haven at 1 p.m. The Vulcans have won all 17 meetings against the Bald Eagles since the 2002-03 season, including a 66-58 victory earlier this year at Hamer Hall.