• Box Score

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. (March 4) – The California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team withheld a second-half rally by Bloomsburg at the Nelson Field House to earn a 77-71 win on Friday evening in the semifinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament.

With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 22-6 overall this season and will play Edinboro tomorrow, Saturday, March 5, in the PSAC Championship at 7 p.m. Cal U will make its conference-record 11th-consecutive appearance in the title game and will face the Fighting Scots in the PSAC Tournament for the fourth time (2004-06) in program history.

Bloomsburg, who was the top seed from the PSAC East, falls to 22-6 and must wait until Sunday night to see if it receives an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies and Vulcans have met four times in the PSAC Tournament with Cal U previously winning during the semifinals in 2001.

Junior forward Amy Johns (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) led four Vulcans in double-figures with 17 points (13 second half) and made two crucial free-throws with 13 seconds left to seal the victory. She finished the game shooting 5-of-12 from the field and five-of-six from the free-throw line, while posting eight rebounds. The McKeesport native has averaged 15.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in the PSAC Tournament this season.

Sophomore Stephanie Michael (Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown) posted 16 points behind four-of-seven from beyond the arc, while senior Kayla Smith (Elkins, W.Va./Elkins) nearly registered a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. Junior guard Danielle Luckett (Chicago, Ill./James Hubert Blake (Md.)) added 12 points despite battling foul trouble late in the game.

Bloomsburg opened the game by making six of its first eight shots to take an 11-4 lead on a fastbreak layup by sophomore Kayla Oxenrider, who led all players with 11 points in the first half. The Vulcans countered with a 13-5 run to claim their first lead of the game, 17-16, on a three-pointer by freshman Ryah Gadson (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) with 11:53 left before halftime. Bloomsburg then retook the lead and led 24-19 before Cal U scored nine-unanswered points over an almost three-minute stretch to take a 28-24 lead on a layup by Smith at the 4:40-mark. The Vulcans led the rest of the half until the Huskies managed to tie the game at 35-35 with 20 seconds remaining in the half. On the final possession before the break, Michael connected on a three-pointer at the buzzer to give Cal U a 38-35 lead at halftime. Both teams shot exceptionally well from beyond the arc in the first half, combining to make 57.9 percent (11-of-19).

The Huskies scored the first points of the second half before the Vulcans went on an 11-0 run over three-plus minutes to expand their lead to 49-37 when Johns made a layup at the 15:52-mark. Cal U eventually stretched its lead to 16 points, 55-39, with 14:27 remaining after Smith made a free-throw. Trailing 58-42, the Huskies mounted an 11-1 rally to trim the deficit to six points, 59-53, on a traditional three-point play by junior Kelsey Gallagher with 10:02 left in the game.

Michael later gave the Vulcans a double-digit lead, 66-56, after hitting a trey at the 7:59-mark. Bloomsburg responded by scoring six-straight points to cut the deficit to 66-62 before the Vulcans went on 7-2 run to take a 73-64 lead on a free-throw by freshman guard Kate Seebohm (Millicent, Australia/Millicent) with 3:28 remaining. The Huskies made it a two-possession game, 73-68, after making four free-throws before both teams went scoreless for a two-minute stretch. Johns snapped the streak with two free-throws before Bloomsburg hit a three-pointer with seven seconds left, 75-71. Luckett then secured the 77-71 win on a pair of free-throws two seconds later.

After making over 50 percent in the first half, Cal U finished the game shooting 41.9 percent (26-of-62) from the field. The Vulcans also shot 40.9 percent (9-of-22) from beyond the arc after combining for only nine three-pointers in their last two games. In comparison, the Huskies made 44.4 percent (24-of-54) from the field and 36.8 percent (7-of-19) from long range. Bloomsburg held a decisive advantage on the free-throw line, making 88.9 percent (16-of-18) compared to only 57.1 percent (16-of-28) by the Vulcans.

The Vulcans out-rebounded the Huskies by a sizeable 42-27 margin after collecting 18 offensive rebounds. Cal U finished with 24 points off turnovers and forced Bloomsburg into 20 turnovers.

In the loss, Gallagher led all players with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Oxenrider finished with 18 points and sophomore Dana Wieller was held to only nine points after entering the weekend ranked third in the PSAC in scoring at 18.1 points per game.

Cal U will be making its 12th all-time appearance (1994, 2001-11) in the PSAC Championship tomorrow night. The Vulcans have won four conference titles (2002-04, 2006) while the Fighting Scots will be looking to capture their first title since 1990. Edinboro, who won both regular season meetings against Cal U for the first time since 1999-2000, will be making its first appearance in the PSAC Championship since 2006 when the Vulcans won their last league crown, 63-59.