• Last meeting:  Feb: 2, 2013 – Cal U 81, No. 6 Gannon 73
• Last post-season meeting: March 6, 2010, PSAC Finals – Gannon 77, Cal U 68
 
These two teams last met on Feb. 9 with Cal U claiming an 81-73 victory over then-No. 6 Gannon at the Convocation Center. Senior Stephanie Michael (Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown) led the Vulcans with 25 points connecting on five-of-six from beyond the arc. Sophomore Emma Mahady (Albury, Australia/Xavier) added 19 points and junior Kate Seebohm (Millicent, Australia/Millicent) collected eight assists in the upset win. Jen Papich and Nettie Blake each posted 20 points for the Golden Knights with Papich adding eight rebounds. The Vulcans forced Gannon into 25 turnovers and held the lead the entire game.
 
SCOUTING THE VULCANS
• 20-7 overall, 15-7 PSAC West; fourth seed in the PSAC West
• 9-3 on the road
Last five games (5-0):
           • Feb. 16, 2013 – Cal U 79, Lock Haven 62
           • Feb. 20, 2013 – Cal U 78, Slippery Rock 55
           • Feb. 23, 2013 – Cal U 67, Mercyhurst 49
           • Feb. 27, 2013 – Cal U 68, Clarion 64
           • March 2, 2013 – Cal U 72, Clarion 42
 
 
The Vulcans advance to the quarterfinals after defeating fifth-seeded Clarion, 72-42, in the first round on Saturday. Michael connected on six three-pointers to lead Cal U with 18 points and Chelsea McKnight added 15 points off the bench. Junior Elena Antonenko scored nine points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds in the win. As a team, the Vulcans shot 11-of-21 (.524) from beyond the arc while holding Clarion to just 7.7 percent (1-of-13). With the win, Cal U extended its winning streak to a season-high five games.
 
Michael has started every game this season and ranks among the league leaders in minutes played (913). The 5-7 guard leads the team with 13.9 points/game connecting 37.0 percent (120-of-324) of her shots. The MWest Virginia native was the teams leading scorer in 10 games this season and has scored over 20 points six times. Michael had a career-high 25 points against then-No. 6 Gannon in February and has averaged 8.2 points per game against the Golden Knights in her career.
 
Seebohm leads the conference and ranks among the national leaders with 5.3 assists per game and is second in the PSAC with a 1.97 assist-to-turnover ratio. In two games against Gannon this season, she has averaged seven assists per game with a season-high eight assist in the upset victory over the Golden Knights in February. The junior has 142 assists this season and has recorded at least five assists in 19 games. The native of Australia leads the team with 2.2 steals per game and ranks second in minutes played (859).
 
Coming off the bench, forward Ashley Hines (Newark, N.J./Trenton Central) leads the Vulcans with 7.3 rebounds per game and ranks second in scoring at 9.3 points per game. The junior transfer has led Cal U in rebounding 13 times this year and has grabbed double-digit boards seven times. Hines has a team-high four double-doubles this season including a 21-point 12-rebound performance against Seton Hill in November.
 
Cal U enters the quarterfinals riding a five-game winning streak. The Vulcans have out-scored their opponents 364-272 over that span, including a 30-point victory over Clarion in the first round of the PSAC Tournament on Saturday. This marks the second five-game winning streak for Cal U this season and fourth under head coach Jess Strom.
 
This game marks the third time since 2007 that these two teams have met in the postseason. The series stands at 1-1 with Gannon defeating Cal U in the PSAC Finals in 2010 and the Vulcans earning the 64-40 victory over the Golden Knights in the third round of the NCAA Tournament in 2009.
 
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
• 26-3 overall, 20-2 PSAC West; top seed in the PSAC West
• 12-0 at home
Last five games (5-0):
           • Feb. 13, 2013 – Gannon 71, Edinboro 62
           • Feb. 16, 2013 – Gannon 79, Clarion 59
           • Feb. 20, 2013 – Gannon 62, Mercyhurst 50
            • Feb. 23, 2013 – Gannon 76, Lock Haven 66
            • March 2, 2013 – Gannon 80, SRU 48
 
Under head coach Cleve Wright, Gannon earned a first-round bye after finishing as the top-ranked team in the West.
 
The Golden Knights are ranked No. 8 in the latest USA Today Sports Division II Coaches' Poll and No. 1 in the Atlantic Region.
 
The Golden Knights returns to the postseason after falling to Shaw (N.C.) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, 64-59.
 
Gannon enters the quarterfinals as one of the top offensive teams in the conference. The Golden Knights lead the PSAC and ranks seventh nationally with a .441 field-goal percentage. Gannon also leads the conference in three-point field-goal percentage (.365) and rebounding defense (30.9) while ranking second with 71.1 points per game.
 
Sharpshooter Brittany Batts leads the PSAC and ranks fourth nationally with a .439 three-point field-goal percentage. Her 3.0 three-pointers per game also leads the league and are ninth-most in the country. The 5-7 guard has made at least five three-pointers six times this year, including a career-high seven against IUP in December. Batts ranks second on the team in scoring (11.5 points/game) and leads the Golden Knights in free-throw percentage (.900). In two games against the Vulcans this year, the junior was held to only 16 points after making just one-of-eight from long range.
 
Guard Kelley Sundberg ranks second in the league and among the national leaders with 5.2 assists per game. The junior leads the conference with a 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio and has recorded at least five assists in 18 games including a career-high 12 against Slippery Rock in the regular-season finale.
 
The winner of this game will advance to face the winner of Millersville-Shippensburg on Friday, March 8.