• Box Score

ERIE, Pa. (March 18) – The Vulcans led by five points at halftime and cut a nine-point deficit in the final minute to two points on Monday night before suffering a 50-47 loss to top-seeded Gannon at the Hammermill Center in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team finishes the year with a 22-9 overall record. The Vulcans entered the tournament as the seventh seed and advanced to the regional championship for the sixth time since the 2001-02 season. Meanwhile, Gannon improves to 31-4 overall and advances to face Ashland in the Elite Eight on March 26 in San Antonio, Texas.

Junior forward Ashley Hines (Newark, N.J. / Trenton Central) posted her fifth double-double of the season, finishing with 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds (four offensive) off the bench. She made four-of-seven from the floor was four-of-four from the free-throw line on Monday. In three games in the NCAA Tournament, Hines averaged 8.3 points and 10.3 rebounds while playing 22.3 minutes off the bench.

Senior Stephanie Michael (Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown) finished with 12 points after scoring six points in the final 33 seconds. She made 4-of-12 attempts from the floor and three-of-nine from beyond the arc after scoring a combined 48 points in two games over the weekend. Sophomore forward Irina Kukolj (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) added seven points and seven rebounds in the loss, while junior guard Kate Seebohm (Millicent, Australia/Millicent) finished with five points, five assists and three steals.

Both teams struggled from the field to start the game, as the game was scoreless until the 16:38-mark. Cal U scored four of the first six points before Gannon countered with a 7-2 run to take a 9-6 lead with 10:05 remaining. The Vulcans answered with a 12-0 rally over six-plus minutes to take a 15-9 lead with 1:59 left in the first half. Gannon made its first field goal in eight-plus minutes at the 1:29-mark before Cal U took an 18-13 lead at the break. The 18 points by the Vulcans marked their fewest total in a half this season.

The Lady Knights scored the first five points of the second half before the Vulcans mounted a 7-2 run over nearly three minutes to take a 25-19 lead with 14:14 remaining. Gannon then seized control of the game with a 17-2 rally over 10-plus minutes to take a 36-27 lead at the 3:34-mark. The teams traded baskets before Hines made a pair of free-throws and Seebohm converted a three-point play to cut the deficit to 39-34 with 1:13 remaining. Gannon then made five-of-six attempts at the charity stripe to take a 43-34 lead with under one minute left to play. The teams traded points before the Vulcans made three-pointers on three-consecutive possessions to cut the deficit to 47-45 with 21.5 seconds remaining. Both teams exchanged a pair of points before Gannon made the first of two free-throws with 16 seconds left. Cal U collected the rebound on the second attempt and had three chances for a game-tying three-pointer in the closing seconds.

The Vulcans were limited to shooting just 31.6 percent (18-of-57) from the field and 21.7 percent (5-of-23) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Lady Knights were held to their worst shooting performance since the 2007-08 campaign, as they made only 28.3 percent (15-of-53) from the floor. Gannon held a distinct advantage at the free-throw line by making 18-of-26 attempts (.692), while Cal U attempted only seven free-throws in the loss. The Lady Knights out-rebounded the Vulcans by a 45-37 margin behind 16 offensive rebounds that led to 10 second-chance points.

Gannon sophomore Doriyon Glass led the team with 15 points behind six-of-seven from the free-throw line. Classmate Nettie Blake, who was named the Atlantic Region MVP, registered a double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds (seven offensive), while junior Kelly Sundberg collected five points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

The Lady Knights advance to the Elite Eight for the second time in four years and will face Ashland, who posted a 70-59 victory over Gannon in November.