Tournament Central I NCAA Digital Program I Game Notes (PDF) I Live Stats I Live Video I Live Audio

STORYLINES
• Last time out: Cal U suffered an 89-45 loss at Edinboro in the quarterfinals of the PSAC Tournament after making just four field goals in the first half.
• Cal U is making its 15th NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 17 years and holds an all-time record of 31-13 in the NCAA Tournament

ABOUT THE VULCANS
• In her seventh season as head coach, Jess Strom enters with a 165-45 career record, including a 113-31 mark in PSAC play and an 11-3 record in the NCAA Tournament.
• Senior Shatara Parsons ranks among the top five this season in the PSAC in scoring, field-goal percentage, blocks and steals. She averages 21.1 points per game while shooting 48.7 percent from the floor.
• The Vulcans rank second in the PSAC in scoring defense (58.3) while sitting among the top 10 in the nation in both total steals (406) and turnover margin (+7.87)

ABOUT THE CRIMSON HAWKS
• In his fifth season as head coach, Tom McConnell has posted a 114-33 record while being named the 2018 PSAC West Coach of the Year.
• The Crimson Hawks sit fifth in NCAA Division II in scoring defense (54.1) and scoring margin (+21.1), while ranking third in the PSAC in scoring offense (75.2).
• IUP shot just 30-of-88 from the floor in the semifinals of the PSAC Tournament when it was eliminated by Millersville in triple-overtime.

ABOUT THE SERIES
• Cal U leads the all-time series with IUP by a 46-37 margin, as the teams split the regular-season series this year with each team winning on its home court.
• This marks the fifth time in the last decade in which the Vulcans have faced a PSAC West member in the NCAA Tournament (3-1).

BACK TO RICHMOND
The Vulcans are making their second trip in three seasons to Richmond, as Virginia Union previously received hosting honors for the 2016 Atlantic Regional Tournament. Cal U is one of four schools that played at Barco-Stephens Hall two years ago in the tournament. The Vulcans were the lone PSAC school in 2016 to advance to the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament hosted by the Panthers.

MARCH MADNESS
Cal U enters the NCAA Tournament for the 15th time in program history and for the fifth time in the last six seasons. The Vulcans hold a 31-13 record in the tournament, winning at least one game in each of their last eight appearances. Since 2008, the Vulcans own a 16-5 mark in the Atlantic Regional with three regional titles.

HIGH-OCTANE DEFENSES
IUP and Cal U both rank among the top 25 in the country in scoring defense this season. The Crimson Hawks sit fifth in the nation with 51.4 points allowed per game and have held opponents to less than 60 points in 21 games this season. The Vulcans are No. 23 in NCAA Division II in scoring defense (58.3) and boast an 18-0 record when holding opponents to 59 points or less.

PSAC IN NCAA
Cal U holds a 7-2 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament against fellow PSAC members. The Vulcans have faced at least one league opponent in four of their last five appearances in the tournament. Cal U has faced Millersville three times, while playing a pair of contest against both Gannon and Mercyhurst in the NCAA Tournament. The Vulcans will face a PSAC West opponent in the Atlantic Regional for a consecutive year.

PICK POCKETS
The Vulcans rank sixth in the country with 406 total steals this season and boast the top-three players in the PSAC in steals per game. Senior Shatara Parsons leads the league with 2.9 steals per game, while junior Abbey Sporio sits second with 2.8 steals per game. Fellow junior Mia Cushon is tied for third in the league with 2.7 steals per game. Parsons has totaled 87 steals this season which nearly doubles her career high set last season.

FAMILIAR PLACE
Cal U head coach Jess Strom is making her 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in her 12 years with the program, including her fifth as a head coach. She has posted an 11-3 mark in the tournament while head coach of the Vulcans, highlighted by the 2015 NCAA National Championship. Strom was an assistant coach at Cal U from
2007-11 and helped the program advance to the Elite Eight in 2008 and 2009.

CAREER YEAR
Senior Shatara Parsons has developed into one of the top players in the Atlantic Region in her third year as a starter. She sits fourth in the region in scoring at 21.1 points per game and ranks fourth in single-season school history with 634 points. Parsons is also just four points shy of moving into the top 10 on the school's all-time scoring list. The Harrisburg native ranks among the top five in the region with 2.90 steals per game and 2.63 blocks per game.

LOADED FIELD
This year's field in the NCAA Tournament features four of the top-12 teams in the country, while all eight teams have posted at least 20 victories. Bowie State has already played a staggering eight games this season against teams in the field, while IUP has faced the field seven times this season. The Crimson Hawks and host Panthers boast an impressive 11-2 record against teams in the field at this weekend's regional event.