• Box Score

CALIFORNIA (Feb. 23) – Behind four players scoring in double figures on Senior Day, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team earned a 67-49 victory over Mercyhurst on Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.

With the win, the Vulcans improve to 18-7 this season behind a 14-7 mark in league action. Cal U has clinched the fourth seed in the PSAC Tournament and will host Clarion in the first round on Saturday, March 3, at 7 p.m. Meanwhile, the Lakers fall to 7-18 overall and 7-14 in conference play, which secures them the sixth seed.

Junior forward Elena Antonenko (Moscow, Russia/State University of Physical Education) led the team with 14 points after shooting seven-of-nine from the floor. She also posted four rebounds and three steals while playing 22 minutes. Antonenko has scored in double figures in each of the last two games and seven times this season.

Senior Stephanie Michael (Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown) and junior Ashley Hines (Newark, N.J./Trenton Central) both finished with 12 points, while Hines added nine rebounds (six offensive) off the bench. Sophomore forward Irina Kukolj (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) posted 10 points and five rebounds, while junior Kate Seebohm (Millicent, Australia/Millicent) tallied five assists.

The Vulcans scored the first seven points of the game and held a 13-4 lead before the Lakers countered with an 8-2 run to trim the deficit to 15-12 with 11:00 left in the first half. Mercyhurst cut the deficit to 20-19 before Cal U mounted a 13-4 run over nearly seven minutes to take a 33-23 lead with 36 seconds left in the first half.

Cal U stretched its lead to 13 points, 38-25, in the first two minutes of the second half before Mercyhurst cut the deficit to single digits, 40-31, with 15:07 remaining. The Vulcans then mounted an 11-2 rally over two-plus minutes to take a 51-33 lead with 12:37 left to play, as Antonenko and Michael scored all 11 points. Cal U maintained a sizable double-digit lead for the remainder of the game, leading by as many as 22 points, 65-45, with 2:18 remaining.

The Vulcans finished the game shooting 43.8 percent (28-of-64) from the floor and 72.7 percent (8-of-11) from the free-throw line. In comparison, the Lakers shot 36.2 percent (17-of-47) from the field and 66.7 percent (14-of-21) from the charity stripe. Cal U out-rebounded Mercyhurst by a 39-35 margin and scored 27 points off turnovers.

Senior Kaylee Foster was lone player for the Lakers to score in double figures, finishing with 13 points.

Cal U finishes the regular season on Wednesday, Feb.27, when it travels to Clarion at 5:30 p.m.