• Box Score

CALIFORNIA (Feb. 20) – The Vulcans scored 23-unanswered points midway through the game on Wednesday evening en route to claiming a 78-55 win against Slippery Rock in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.

With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team improves to 17-7 overall with a 13-7 mark in league play. The Vulcans, who have already secured a home game in the PSAC Tournament, were fifth in the initial NCAA regional rankings that were released earlier in the day. Meanwhile, The Rock falls to 4-20 this season behind a 3-17 record in conference action.

Senior guard Stephanie Michael (Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown) posted her third 20-point game in the last 11 days, finishing with 20 points on Wednesday. She made 5-of-17 attempts from the floor, including 4-of-11 from beyond the arc, and converted six-of-six from the free-throw line. The West Virginia native now ranks fourth in single-season school history with 65 three-pointers, which are the most since Nichole Jonker totaled 85 three-pointers in the 1995-96 campaign.

Junior Elena Antonenko (Moscow, Russia/State University of Physical Education) posted her second double-double of the year, collecting with 10 points and 10 rebounds (six offensive). Sophomore guard Chelsea McKnight (Grove City, Ohio/Harvest Prep) and junior forward Ashley Hines (Newark, N.J./Trenton Central) added 13 and 12 points, respectively, off the bench. Sophomore Irina Kukolj (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) tallied seven points and 10 rebounds (eight offensive) and junior Kate Seebohm (Millicent, Australia/Millicent) collected seven assists in the victory.

Cal U opened the game with a 7-2 run before Slippery Rock took its first lead of the game at 22-20 with 8:32 left before the break. The Vulcans tied the game on the next possession and later held a 28-24 lead with 6:39 remaining. The Rock then posted a 10-2 run over four minutes to take a 34-30 lead with 2:28 left before the Vulcans scored five-straight points to take a 35-34 lead at the break.

The Vulcans opened the second half on an 18-0 run to stretch the lead to 53-34 with 13:40 remaining. Slippery Rock then made its first field goal in over 10 minutes at the 12:17-mark before Cal U later scored seven-straight points to take a 66-41 lead with 6:13 left to play. McKnight scored six-straight points in the final 3:45, as she totaled 11 of her 13 points in the second half.

Cal U finished the game shooting 38.2 percent (26-of-68) from the field and 76.0 percent (19-of-25) from the free-throw line. In comparison, Slippery Rock made 29.6 percent (16-of-54) from the floor and 69.6 percent (16-of-23) from the charity stripe. The Vulcans held a 43-40 rebounding advantage behind 21 offensive rebounds and scored 34 points from in the paint.

Sophomore forward Simone Aladenove led The Rock with 10 points and seven rebounds, while senior Erinne Cunningham posted 10 points in the losing effort.

The Vulcans return to action on Saturday, Feb. 23, when they host Mercyhurst at the Convocation Center for Senior Day, starting at 1 p.m.