EDINBORO, Pa. (Feb. 3) – In a meeting of teams tied for first place in the divisional standings, the No. 14 Vulcans suffered a 79-66 loss at No. 15 Edinboro in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action on Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team falls to 18-4 overall with a 13-3 mark in league play. The Vulcans now sit 1.0-game back of both Edinboro and IUP for first place in the PSAC West standings with six games left in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Fighting Scots improve to 18-2 this season behind a 14-2 record in conference action.

Junior Mia Cushon (Raytown, Mo./Raytown South) scored a season-high 25 points after going 10-of-21 from the floor. She also tied for the team lead with eight rebounds (five offensive) and added four assists and three steals while playing 36 minutes. Cushon has scored at least 20 points six times this year while averaging 15.3 points per game.

Senior Shatara Parsons (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), the leading scorer in the PSAC, was limited to a season-low nine points on just 4-of-15 shooting. Sophomore Gina Vallecorsa (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) finished with nine points and three rebounds off the bench, while freshman Bianca Jasper (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) tallied eight rebounds and five assists in the loss.

The Fighting Scots opened the game on a 13-5 run before the Vulcans scored four-straight points to cut the deficit to 13-9 with 2:22 left in the first quarter. Edinboro responded with an 8-2 rally to stretch its lead to double-digits, 21-11, with 7:45 remaining before halftime. Four different Cal U players scored baskets in an 8-4 run to trim the deficit to 25-19 at the 3:55-mark in the second quarter. The Fighting Scots countered with a 7-2 run before taking a 32-27 lead into the break.

Parsons made the initial basket of the third quarter before Edinboro mounted a 10-3 rally to increase its lead back to double-digits, 42-32, at the 6:41-mark. The Fighting Scots later registered an 11-2 run over four-plus minutes to stretch its lead to 53-37 with 1:32 left in the third quarter. Cal U worked the deficit to 58-47 on a three-pointer by Vallecorsa with 6:16 remaining in the game, but the Vulcans were unable to trim the deficit to single digits for the rest of the contest.

The Vulcans managed just three field goals in the first quarter before finishing with a .375 field-goal percentage (27-of-72). Meanwhile, the Fighting Scots made 42.9 percent (24-of-56) from the floor and converted 29-of-35 from the free-throw line (82.9 percent). Edinboro held a 45-35 rebounding advantage on Saturday, while Cal U forced 22 turnovers in the loss.

Junior Jontay Walton led Edinboro with 19 points on 6-of-12 from the floor and seven-of-eight from the free-throw line, plus five assists. Sophomore Michaela Barnes and senior Ciara Rosten both scored 17 points in the win and Rosten recorded a double-double with 15 rebounds.

Cal U continues its road trip on Wednesday, Feb. 7, when it travels to face Gannon in Erie, Pennsylvania, at 5:30 p.m.