CALIFORNIA (March 1) – Behind a 15-2 run in the second half, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team rallied for a 75-67 victory in the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament at Hamer Hall on Tuesday night.

With the win, the Vulcans improve to 22-5 overall and advance to face Shippensburg, the second-seed in the PSAC East, on Saturday, March 5. Cal U, which extended its winning streak to 11 games, also secured hosting rights for the semifinals and championship of the league tournament. Meanwhile, the Fighting Scots finish the year with a 20-10 record.

Junior Precious Martin (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) posted a team-high 20 points (14 first half) on 9-of-13 shooting. She also finished with six rebounds, four assists and four steals while playing 38 minutes. Martin scored in double-digits for only the second time in the last nine games and tallied the most points since setting a career high of 25 points on Jan. 9 against Seton Hill.

Classmate Miki Glenn (Bridgeport, W.Va./Bridgeport) tallied 18 points (12 second half) behind 11-of-12 from the free-throw line. She also posted six rebounds, seven assists and three steals against the Fighting Scots. Senior Paige Wright (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) matched her season high with 14 points after making 5-of-10 from the floor, including three-of-five from beyond the arc. Sophomore Shatara Parsons (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) posted 11 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, while classmate Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) collected a team-high nine rebounds (seven offensive).

The Vulcans scored the opening eight points of the fourth quarter to take a 61-57 lead on a jumper by Martin with 7:53 left in the quarter, marking their first lead since midway in the first quarter. Following a layup by Edinboro, Cal U made four-unanswered free-throws to stretch the lead to 65-59 with 6:55 left to play. The Fighting Scots then mounted an 8-4 run over three-plus minutes to cut the deficit to 69-67 with 3:37 remaining. Nearly 90 seconds later, Cal U added a layup by Parsons at the 2:14-mark before both teams were held scoreless until Glenn made two free-throws with 36 seconds left to play to stretch the lead to 73-67.

Cal U started the game on a 10-5 run with Martin and Parsons combining for all 10 points. The Fighting Scots countered with a 13-2 rally behind three treys to take an 18-12 lead with 2:12 left in the first quarter. The Vulcans scored six of the next eight points to cut the deficit to 20-18 at the end of the first.

The Fighting Scots answered by posting the initial six points of the second quarter to stretch their lead to 26-18 with 8:06 left before halftime. The teams traded points for the next six minutes with Edinboro holding a 38-33 lead with 2:05 remaining in the quarter before neither team scored again before the break.

Cal U trimmed the deficit to 38-37 early in the third quarter on a layup by Martin before Wright made a three-pointer at the 6:55-mark to cut the deficit to 42-40.  The Fighting Scots scored nine of the next 10 points to stretch the lead back to double-digits at 51-41 with 4:05 left in the quarter. The Vulcans closed the quarter on a 10-4 run following a three-pointer by Wright in the closing seconds of the quarter, 57-53.

The Vulcans finished the game shooting 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the floor and converted 63.0 percent (17-of-27) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Fighting Scots made 52.0 percent (26-of-50) from the field after shooting at a blistering .667 clip (14-of-21) in the first half. Cal U held a 33-30 rebounding advantage with Edinboro recording 16 offensive rebounds and both teams scored 30 points from inside the paint. The Vulcans also forced 20 turnovers, including 14 in the first half.

Edinboro freshman Michelle Jahn led all players with 24 points (15 first half) after shooting 8-of-15 from the floor, including four-of-eight from beyond the arc. Junior Katie Fischer added 17 points behind a trio of three-pointers, while senior Aignee' Freeland scored just eight points after finishing with 25 points against the Vulcans last week.

Cal U returns to action on Saturday, March 5, when it faces Shippensburg in the semifinals of the league tournament. The semifinals and championship of the PSAC Tournament will be held in Hamer Hall.