ERIE, Pa. (Feb. 17) – in a pivotal meeting between regionally-ranked teams, the Vulcans earned an 83-78 win against Gannon on Wednesday evening in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action and also snapped a seven-game losing streak in the series at the Hammermill Center.

With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team improve to 19-5 overall behind a 16-4 mark in league play. The Vulcans were slotted fourth in the initial NCAA Atlantic regional rankings that were released earlier in the day, while the Lady Knights were tabbed ninth in the rankings. Meanwhile, Gannon drops to 16-8 this season with a 14-6 record in conference action.

Sophomore Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) led the team with 21 points (17 second half) on 7-of-13 from the floor and 7-of-10 from the free-throw line. She also totaled five rebounds and three assists while playing 33 minutes on Wednesday. Barrett is averaging 16.4 points and 8.3 rebounds during the current eight-game win streak, while shooting 59.6 percent (53-of-89) from the floor.

Fellow sophomore Shatara Parsons (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) finished with 20 points (14 first half) on 9-of-13 shooting and led the team with eight rebounds (four offensive) and five blocks. Junior Miki Glenn (Bridgeport, W.Va./Bridgeport) posted 18 points behind eight-of-eight from the free-throw line and also collected seven assists and three steals. Senior Paige Wright (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) added 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals while playing all 40 minutes.

The teams traded points in the opening minutes of the game before both teams were held scoreless for nearly three minutes. The Lady Knights snapped the scoreless drought with a 9-0 run to take a 14-7 lead with 2:07 left in the first quarter. Cal U later cut the deficit to 17-11 at the end of the quarter following a jumper by Glenn at the buzzer.

The Vulcans scored six of the initial eight points of the second quarter to trim the deficit to 19-17 on a jumper by Glenn at the 8:10-mark. Gannon answered with four-straight points before Cal U mounted an 8-1 run over 90 seconds to take a 25-24 lead on a pair of free-throws by Glenn with 4:54 left before halftime. The Lady Knights responded with an 8-2 run before the Vulcans closed the first half with seven-unanswered points to take a 34-32 lead at the break.

Gannon tied the game in the opening 20 seconds of the third quarter and later reclaimed the lead at 41-39 at the 5:23-mark. The Vulcans answered with a 13-4 rally, including a combined nine points by freshman Emily Suckling (Cheltenham, Australia/Mentone Girls' Secondary College) and Barrett, over four minutes to take the lead at 52-45 with 58 seconds left in the quarter. The Lady Knights scored the final four points of the third quarter to cut the deficit to 52-49.

The Vulcans started the fourth quarter on a 9-4 run to stretch the lead to 61-53 on a layup by Barrett with 7:51 left to play. Gannon then trimmed the deficit to 69-65 with 2:37 remaining before Cal U countered with an 8-3 rally to take a 77-68 with 57 seconds left in regulation. The Lady Knights cut the deficit to four points twice in the final 30 seconds before the Vulcans sealed the win by making six-of-eight free-throws down the stretch.

Cal U shot almost 60 percent in the second half before finishing the game making 51.8 percent (29-of-56) from the floor. The Vulcans also attempted a season-high 37 free-throws. Gannon shot at a 46.0 clip (29-of-63) from the field and converted 47.1 percent (8-of-17) from beyond the arc. The Lady Knights held a 40-30 rebound advantage, while the Vulcans scored 46 points from inside the paint. Cal U committed only nine turnovers in the victory.

Senior Jenni Thies led all players with 26 points and 18 rebounds (eight offensive) for her seventh-straight double-double.  Sophomore McKenna Shives finished with 20 points behind six three-pointers, while senior Amanda Berchtold totaled six rebounds and six assists in the loss.

Cal U returns to Erie, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, Feb. 20, when it faces Mercyhurst at 1 p.m.