CALIFORNIA (March 11) – The No. 7 and top-seeded California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team used balanced scoring to earn an 86-75 win against fifth-seeded Mercyhurst at Hamer Hall in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 30-3 overall and advance to the championship game of the NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament against third-seeded Virginia Union. Cal U also reached the 30-win mark for the fourth time in school history, all since the 2002-03 season. Meanwhile, the Lakers end the year with a 24-8 mark.

Junior Shatara Parsons (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) recorded a double-double for a consecutive night, as she finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds (four offensive). She made six-of-eight from the floor and converted 8-of-11 from the free-throw line while playing 35 minutes, which matches her season-high. Over the past eight games, Parsons is averaging 15.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 54.3 percent (51-of-94) from the field.

Classmate Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) led the team with 21 points despite playing only eight minutes in the second half due to foul trouble. She shot 10-of-18 from the floor against the Lakers and also posted six rebounds. Sophomore Abbey Sporio (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) finished with 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals while playing all 40 minutes.

Freshman Bailey Cooper (Donora, Pa./Ringgold) scored 14 points off the bench and collected three rebounds and two steals in 31 minutes. Senior Precious Martin (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) added 11 points and three rebounds in the victory.

The Vulcans scored the opening seven points of the game before the Lakers cut the deficit to 9-6 with 6:41 left in the first quarter. Cal U answered by scoring another seven-unanswered points to take a 16-6 lead at the 4:55-mark. The Lakers countered with a 13-4 run to trim the deficit to 20-19 before Parsons made a layup to give the Vulcans a 22-19 lead at the end of the first quarter. The teams traded baskets for the opening half of the second quarter before Cal U scored 12-straight points over four-plus minutes to take a 42-28 lead with 1:21 remaining before halftime. During the run, the Lakers committed five turnovers and missed all four shot attempts. Mercyhurst made a layup at the halftime buzzer, as Cal U entered the break with a 42-30 lead.

Mercyhurst made its first five shots of the third quarter to spark an 11-4 run that worked the deficit down to 46-41 at the 7:21-mark. Shortly thereafter, Barrett was forced to the bench with four fouls after whistled for a pair of fouls in a 21-second span. The Vulcans later stretched their lead back to double-digits, 54-44, following baskets by Cooper and Sporio with 2:39 left in the third quarter. However, Mercyhurst closed the quarter on a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to 56-51. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Lakers scored six-straight points to make it a one-possession game at 64-61 at the 5:26-mark. Cal U responded with an 11-2 run with points from five different players to take a 75-63 lead with 3:09 left to play. Mercyhurst worked the deficit to as low as eight points at the 1:20-mark before making only one field goal down the stretch while Martin sealed the win by scoring five points in the closing 35 seconds.

The Vulcans finished the game shooting 52.5 percent (32-of-61) from the floor and attempted just five three-pointers. Cal U also made 21-of-32 attempts (65.6 percent) from the charity stripe on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Lakers posted a .526 field-goal percentage (30-of-57) and converted 86.7 percent (13-of-15) from the free-throw line. The Vulcans finished with a 35-29 rebounding advantage and scored 56 points from inside the paint.

Mercyhurst senior Angela Heintz nearly recorded a triple-double in the loss, as she finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. Classmate Natalie Piaggesi added 21 points and three blocks, while sophomore Maria Lapertosa added 10 points off the bench.

Cal U continues play in the NCAA Tournament on Monday, March 13, when it hosts Virginia Union for the Atlantic Region Championship in Hamer Hall at 7 p.m. The Panthers, which won the regional title last season, advanced to the regional final on Saturday with a 62-58 victory against IUP.