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CALIFORNIA (March 13) – The California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team will face Virginia Union in the Atlantic Regional final tonight in Hamer Hall at 7 p.m.

TICKETS
Cal U is selling day-only tickets for the NCAA Tournament at the cost of $10 for adults and $5 for students.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The Cal U sports information office will provide live statistics for the game at the link above. Live updates will also be available throughout the game on both @calvulcans and @AtlanticD2WBB.

STORYLINES
• Last time out: Cal U earned an 86-75 victory over Mercyhurst on Saturday to advance to the Atlantic Regional Championship for the third time in five years.
• The Vulcans enter play having won 19 of their last 21 games, which featured a 14-game winning streak from Jan. 3-Feb. 20.
• Cal U is making its 14th NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 16 years and  holds an all-time record of 31-12 in the NCAA Tournament.
 
ABOUT THE VULCANS
• In her sixth season as head coach, Jess Strom enters with a 141-38 career record, including a 95-27 mark in PSAC play and an 11-2 record in the NCAA Tournament.
• Junior forward Seairra Barrett is averaging 26.0 points and 9.5 rebounds over the  last four games while shooting 63.1 percent from the field.
• The Vulcans have featured balanced scoring in the NCAA Tournament, as five players have scored in double-digits in each of their two victories.
 
ABOUT THE PANTHERS
• In two seasons as head coach, AnnMarie Gilbert has posted a 53-7 record while leading Virginia Union to back-to-back appearances in the regional championship.
• Senior Lady Walker ranks No. 10 in the nation with 11.2 rebounds per game and has recorded 15 double-doubles this season, which is the most in the CIAA.
• The Panthers held a sizeable 46-23 rebounding margin and overcame 22 turnovers on Saturday to earn a 62-58 win over IUP.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
• Cal U and Virginia Union have previously never faced each other in either the regular season or NCAA Tournament.
• This marks the fifth time in the last eight years in which the Vulcans have faced a CIAA program in the NCAA Tournament.
 
HOW SWEET IT IS
The Vulcans are playing in the regional championship for the eighth time in program history, including the third time in the last five years. Cal U holds a 5-2 all-time record in regional championships with a 3-0 mark at Hamer Hall (2004, 2009, 2015). Virginia Union is making a consecutive regional championship appearance and is attempting to become the first school to repeat as regional champions since Shaw in 2011-12.
 
FACING THE CIAA
The Vulcans hold a 3-1 all-time record against CIAA opponents in the NCAA Tournament. Cal U registered each of its victories against CIAA members in the first round of the tournament, while the only loss came in the second round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament to eventual-regional champion Shaw. This marks the third-straight year in which the Vulcans will have faced a CIAA school in the tournament.
 
OFFENSIVE MINDS
Cal U and Virginia Union both lead their respective conferences in scoring offense this season. The Vulcans rank sixth in the nation with 81.0 points per game and have scored over 80 points in the opening two rounds of the NCAA Tournament despite playing without their leading scorer. The Panthers rank among the top 20 in the country with 78.0 points per game and have scored at least 90 points seven times this season.
 
MEMORABLE MARCH
Junior Seairra Barrett is averaging 22.6 points and 9.8 rebounds in five games in the month of March. She has scored at least 21 points in the last four games, including 31 points against IUP in the PSAC Championship on March 5. Barrett is shooting 56.4 percent from the floor this month and tied her career high with 18 rebounds against Glenville State on Friday.
 
FAMILIAR NAMES
The Atlantic Regional Championship features a meeting of the last two regional champions with Cal U claiming the title in 2015 and Virginia Union winning the crown last season. Both programs won their most recent regional title on their home court and have claimed at least one NCAA National Championship. The Vulcans captured the national title in 2004 and 2015, while the Panthers were National Champions in 1983.
 
RUNNING THE SHOW
Since the start of the PSAC Tournament, sophomore guard Abbey Sporio is averaging 11.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 3.6 steals per game. She has assumed the role of point guard following an injury to four-year starter Miki Glenn in the quarterfinals of the league tournament. Sporio has played all 40 minutes in each of the last three games, and recorded a pair of double-doubles this post-season.
 
OLd STOMPING GROUNDS
Cal U holds a 15-1 record at Hamer Hall in the NCAA Tournament since 2002. The only loss by the Vulcans in the facility during that span came against Millersville in the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Cal U has won its last two regional titles in Hamer Hall, most recently a 72-69 overtime victory in 2015 against Bloomsburg, which was the third seed in the regional tournament.
 
PEAK PARSONS
Junior Shatara Parsons has recorded back-to-back double-doubles in the NCAA Tournament, scoring 20 points in both games and collecting at least 10 rebounds. She is shooting a combined 14-of-24 from the floor in the tournament. Parsons, who was named to the all-tournament team at last year's regional, is averaging 18.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game in the NCAA Tournament over the last two years.