• Box Score

ERIE, Pa. (Feb.18) – The Vulcans clinched a berth in their 12th-consecutive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament on Saturday afternoon by claiming a 65-60 victory over Mercyhurst in divisional play at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.

With its fourth-straight win, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team improves to 15-8 overall and 13-7 in league play. Currently, the Vulcans are two games behind IUP for third place in the divisional standings with two games left in the regular season. With the loss, the Lakers fall to 11-13 overall and 9-11 in conference action.

Senior forward Amy Johns (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) paced the Vulcans with her third-straight 20-point game, finishing with 22 points (16 second half) on 6-of-13 from the field and 10-of-14 from the free-throw line. She also added eight rebounds (six offensive) and two steals while playing all 40 minutes on Saturday.

Freshman Selena Adamshick (Harveys Lake, Pa./Lake Lehman) tied her career high with 12 points after shooting five-of-seven from the floor. Senior guard Danielle Luckett (Chicago, Ill./James Hubert Blake (Md.)) finished with 10 points and three steals while establishing a career high with eight assists.

Luckett hit a jumper then assisted on a bucket by freshman Emma Mahady (Albury, Australia/Xavier) to put Cal U up 4-0 to start the game. Sophomore Ryah Gadson (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) tied the game at 8-8 with a basket at the 16:11-mark before Luckett gave the Vulcans a 13-11 lead with 13:30 remaining. Junior forward Nakia DeBlanc (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) gave Cal U a 19-14 lead before Gadson tied the game at 24-24 with a jumper at the 5:28-mark. A free-throw by Johns cut the deficit to 30-27 with just over two minutes remaining in the half before Gadson tied the game at the end of the first half, 30-30, on a free-throw.

A Luckett jumper gave Cal U a five-point lead, 37-32, with 16:32 left in the second half. Mercyhurst mounted a 7-0 run to take a 39-37 lead at the 14:52-mark before freshman Chelsea McKnight (Grove City, Ohio/Harvest Prep) made a jumper to trim the deficit to 44-42 at the 12:53-mark. Cal U countered with a 7-0 run at the 3:07-mark to take a 59-54 lead before Johns closed out the game by hitting two free-throws.

In the win, the Vulcans shot 41.0 percent (25-of-61) from the field and 40.0 percent (two-of-five) from beyond the arc. Cal U collected 33 rebounds behind 18 offensive rebounds that led to 14 second-chance points. The Vulcans also scored 35 points off turnovers after registering 19 steals. Mercyhurst shot 48.8 percent (21-of-43) from the field and collected 16 assists on 21 field goals.

Senior Megan Hoffman led the way for the Lakers with 16 points behind four three-pointers. Guards Dana Banda and Nikki Frederickson both finished with 14 points and Frederickson added a game-high nine rebounds.

Cal U returns to the Convocation Center on Wednesday, Feb. 22, when it hosts Clarion on Senior Day for a 5:30 p.m. start. Live stats of the game will be available by clicking here.