CALIFORNIA (March 13) – The top-seeded Vulcans struggled from the floor and with foul trouble on Monday night while suffering an 85-69 loss to third-seeded Virginia Union in the Atlantic Region Championship at Hamer Hall.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team finishes the year with a 30-4 overall record while suffering its first home loss since Jan. 9, 2016, a span of 25 games. The Vulcans reached the 30-win mark this season for the fourth time in program history and advanced to the regional championship for the eighth time, including five times in the last 10 years. Meanwhile, Virginia Union improves to 26-5 this season and repeats as the Atlantic Regional Champion.

Junior forward Shatara Parsons (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) led the team with 21 points on 7-of-14 from the floor and seven-of-nine from the free-throw line. She also paced the team with eight rebounds (six offensive) and registered two blocks while playing a season-high 36 minutes. Parsons averaged 20.3 points during the regional tournament after scoring at least 20 points in each of the three games.

Classmate Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) finished with 19 points and six rebounds despite playing just three minutes in the third quarter due to foul trouble. Senior Precious Martin (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) posted 13 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter. Sophomore Abbey Sporio (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) added eight points, five rebounds, six assists and five steals in the loss.

The Vulcans missed their first seven shot attempts from the floor before a layup by Barrett at the 7:12-mark in the first quarter. VUU then mounted a 7-2 run over 90-plus seconds before Cal U scored six-straight points to cut the deficit to 13-12 with 2:51 left in the quarter. The Panthers scored a layup in the final minute of the first quarter to spark a 14-2 run that stretched their lead to 31-18 with 4:59 remaining before halftime. During the run, Cal U missed all six shots from the field and committed six turnovers. The Vulcans made their first field goal of the second quarter at the 2:11-mark on a jumper by Barrett before going into the break trailing 37-26 despite shooting just 27.0 percent (10-of-37) from the floor.

VUU started the third quarter on a 12-4 run to increase its lead to 49-30 with 6:11 left in the quarter. The Vulcans made their lone three-pointer of the game on the next possession before the Panthers rallied off seven-straight points to take their largest lead of the game at 23 points, 56-33, at the 4:19-mark. Cal U countered with a 7-2 run to work the deficit down to 18 points, 58-40, before VUU took a 63-42 lead at the end of the third quarter. The Vulcans opened the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run to trim the deficit to 14 points, 65-51, but were unable to work the deficit down any more over the final six-plus minutes of the game.

The Vulcans finished with a .353 field-goal percentage (24-of-68), their second-lowest mark of the season, and made just 64.5 percent (20-of-31) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Panthers shot a 54.7 clip (35-of-64) while attempting just one three-pointer. Both teams finished with 41 rebounds in the contest, including 21 offensive rebounds by Cal U, while also combining for 58 turnovers.

VUU senior Lady Walker, who was named the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Player of the Year last month, scored a game-high 32 points (20 second half) on 14-of-23 attempts and also tallied 10 rebounds (four offensive). Walker was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Atlantic Regional Tournament after averaging 18.0 points and 10.3 rebounds over the three games. Senior Ashley Smith finished with 15 points and junior Alexis Johnson collected a game-high 12 rebounds (six offensive) and also registered four blocks.

The Vulcans advanced to the regional championship this season for the third time in five years. During that span, the program has posted a 127-32 overall record for a .798 winning percentage.