RICHMOND, Va. (March 11) – The second-seeded Vulcans overcame first-half foul trouble and a second quarter in which they allowed nearly 30 points to claim an 80-70 win over seventh-seeded Chowan in the first round of the NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament at Barco-Stephens Hall on Friday afternoon.

With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team improves to 25-5 overall and extends its winning streak to 14 games. The Vulcans advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and will face third-seeded West Liberty in the post-season for a consecutive year. Meanwhile, Chowan ends the year with a 20-9 record – the first 20-win season and NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.

Sophomore forward Shatara Parsons (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) led the team with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor. She also led the team with nine rebounds (seven offensive) and five blocks despite being whistled for her second foul with 4:09 left in the first quarter. Parsons is averaging 15.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.8 blocks in four post-season games this year.

Classmate Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) and junior Precious Martin (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) each finished with 16 points in the victory. Barrett shot seven-of-nine from the floor and added eight rebounds (four offensive) and five assists, which tied her career high. Martin made 7-of-15 from the field and collected seven rebounds, two blocks and three steals despite picking up her third foul with 7:15 left before halftime.

Junior guard Miki Glenn (Bridgeport, W.Va./Bridgeport) scored 14 points behind 10-of-11 from the free-throw line and totaled eight assists and four steals while playing all 40 minutes, including the final 3:45 of the game with four fouls. Redshirt freshman Morgan Jennings (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg) matched her career highs of 11 points and five rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.

Cal U opened the game on an 8-2 run after making three of its initial four shots before Chowan cut the deficit to 10-7 with 6:43 left in the first quarter. The teams then traded points before the Vulcans closed the quarter on an 11-5 run over the final three minutes to take a 29-19 lead after Glenn converted three free-throws after being fouled on a buzzer-beater attempt.

The Hawks mounted a 14-5 run and forced the Vulcans to commit five turnovers early in the second quarter to trim the deficit to 34-33 at the 6:40-mark. Chowan took its first lead of the game since the opening basket about two minutes later and engineered a 10-2 rally to take a 45-40 lead with 2:06 left before halftime. The Hawks eventually took a 47-43 lead into the break, as both teams shot at least 50 percent in the first half.

Cal U posted a 9-2 run early in the third quarter to reclaim the lead at 52-51 on a jumper by Martin with 5:17 left in the quarter. The teams traded points for the remainder of the quarter with the Vulcans taking a 62-60 lead into the final 10 minutes of the game.

The Vulcans scored six of the opening seven points in the fourth quarter to take a 68-61 lead with 5:54 remaining. Chowan countered with six-straight points to cut the deficit to 68-67 with 4:17 remaining. On the ensuing possession, senior Alisha Mobley, the leading scorer for the Hawks, was whistled for her fifth foul and Jennings converted a three-point play to stretch the lead to 71-67. The Vulcans capitalized on the momentum and stretched the lead to 75-67 at the 2:05-mark. Chowan snapped a two-minute scoreless streak with free-throws before Glenn scored three points to stretch the lead to 78-68 with 1:04 left to play. The Hawks were then only able to manage one free-throw in the 60 seconds of play.

Cal U shot 46.8 percent (29-of-62) from the floor despite making just 2-of-13 (15.4 percent) from beyond the arc. The Vulcans also converted 69.0 percent (20-of-29) from the free-throw line. In comparison, the Hawks made 45.6 percent (26-of-57) from the field while attempting only four treys and shot at a 72.7 clip (16-of-22) from the free-throw line. Chowan finished with a 37-34 rebounding advantage, while Cal U scored 22 second-chance points and forced 25 turnovers.

Mobley finished with a game-high 25 points (16 first half) on 9-of-15 from the floor and six-of-eight from the free-throw line despite playing only 29 minutes. Junior Jordan Payne posted 19 points and seven rebounds, while freshman Jada Lee registered a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds (seven offensive), plus added seven assists.

The Vulcans continue play in the NCAA Tournament tomorrow, Saturday, March 12, when they face West Liberty with tip set for 5 p.m.