• Box Score

INDIANA, Pa. (March 1) – Senior forward Kayla Smith (Elkins, W.Va./Elkins) posted 21 points and 17 rebounds on Tuesday evening, as the Vulcans earned a 61-51 victory over IUP in the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament at Memorial Fieldhouse.

With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team improves to 21-6 overall and will face top-seeded and host Bloomsburg on Friday, March 4. The Vulcans and Huskies have met three previous times (1996, 1997, 2001) in the PSAC Tournament with the last coming during the semifinals in 2001.

Meanwhile, IUP falls to 19-8 this season and must wait until Sunday night to see if it received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Crimson Hawks have met in the last five PSAC Tournaments with Cal U winning the last two, both in the quarterfinal round.

Smith, who was named PSAC West Athlete of the Week yesterday, led all players with 21 points on 8-of-11 from the field and five-of-seven from the free-throw line. She also collected 17 rebounds (seven offensive), two blocks and two steals against IUP. The All-America candidate has recorded 20 double-doubles this season (63 career) and moved past Clarion's Carlita Jones for third in PSAC history with 1,263 career rebounds.

Junior forward Amy Johns (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) finished with 14 points and four rebounds, while freshman guard Ryah Gadson (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) added 12 points and six rebounds off the bench on Tuesday.

Cal U opened the game with a quick 8-0 run with Smith scoring the first six points. The Crimson Hawks then mounted an 11-3 rally to tie the game at 11-11 on a three-pointer by senior Lacey Claar with 12:25 left in the first half. The Vulcans responded with an 18-4 run, making 8-of-10 shots over a six-minute span, to take 29-15 lead on a jumper by Smith with 6:12 remaining before the break. However, Cal U was then held scoreless for the remainder of the half, as IUP went on an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to 29-26 at halftime.

In the opening minutes of the second half, the Crimson Hawks cut the deficit to 31-30 before the Vulcans countered with a 9-2 run to take a 40-32 lead with 13:59 remaining. IUP then scored five-straight points in an 11-second span to trim the deficit to 40-37 following a trey by senior Eryn Withers at the 13:32-mark before both teams went scoreless for nearly three minutes. Withers snapped the scoreless drought before Smith converted a traditional three-point play to give the Vulcans a 43-39 lead with 10:15 left in the game.

The two teams then traded baskets until Gadson hit a trey and Johns made a free-throw at the 3:58-mark to give Cal U a 53-47 lead. After the Crimson Hawks made a jumper, the Vulcans sealed the win when Smith and Johns each converted a pair of free-throws in the final minute. Sophomore guard Stephanie Michael (Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown) capped the tournament win by making a fastbreak layup with 6.7 seconds left.

For the game, Cal U shot 46.2 percent (24-of-52) from the field while IUP made 37.3 percent (19-of-51) of its shots. Both teams struggle from beyond the arc and two teams combined for only 24 free-throw attempts. The Vulcans out-rebounded the Crimson Hawks by a 39-26 margin and scored 26 points from inside the paint.

Withers led IUP with 15 points and eight rebounds, while junior Vianca Tejada finished with 11 points off the bench.

Cal U has advanced to the semifinals of the PSAC Tournament in each of the last 10 seasons, winning each time to advance to the championship game. The Vulcans hold a 27-13 all-time record in the conference tournament and have captured four tournament tiles (2002-04, 2006).

UPCOMING PSAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Semifinals - Friday, March 4 (at Bloomsburg)
California (W3) vs. Bloomsburg (E1), TBA
Edinboro (W1) vs. Millersville (E2), TBA

Championship - Saturday, March 5 (at Bloomsburg)
Edinboro/Millersville vs. California/Bloomsburg, TBA

PREVIOUS PSAC TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Quarterfinals - Tuesday, March 1
Edinboro (W1) d. Mercyhurst (W4), 75-51
California (W3) d. IUP (W2), 61-51
Bloomsburg (E1) d. Kutztown (E3), 80-66
Millersville (E2) d. West Chester (E4), 70-65