MILLERSVILLE, Pa. (Dec. 21) – The No. 9 Vulcans were unable to overcome a 15-point deficit to start the game on Saturday afternoon before suffering a 79-53 loss at Millersville in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover play.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team falls to 9-2 this season behind a 3-2 mark in league action. The Vulcans had won the previous four meetings against the Marauders, including three at the Pucillo Gymnasium. Meanwhile, Millersville improves to 4-5 overall with a 1-3 record in conference play.

Freshman Halle Herrington (Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola) led the team with a season-high 15 points after entering play with 39 total points this year. She shot 5-of-16 from the floor and four-of-five from the free-throw line while playing a season-high 24 minutes off the bench.

Sophomore Lauren Bennett (Buckhannon, W.Va/Buckhannon-Upshur) set a career high with 13 points on five-of-nine shooting on Saturday. She also tallied four rebounds (three offensive) while playing a career-high 33 minutes off the bench. Classmate Shauna Harrison (Sheffield, England/Myerscough) paced the team with seven rebounds (three offensive) and four steals, plus scored six points against the Marauders. Junior Bianca Jasper (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) finished with eight points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals in the loss.

Millersville opened the game on a 15-0 run, as Cal U was held scoreless until the 3:51-mark of the first quarter. After a three-pointer by Harrison on the next possession, the Marauders went on an 11-2 rally to take a 26-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Vulcans posted a 10-4 run midway through the second quarter to trim the deficit to 34-20 with 2:45 left before halftime. Millersville eventually took a 43-27 lead at the break after shooting nearly 60 percent from the floor in the first half.

The Vulcans scored six of the initial eight points of the third quarter before later tallying seven-unanswered points to cut the deficit to 47-40 following three free-throws by Herrington at the 1:19-mark. After going five-plus minutes without a point, Millersville started a 12-0 run in the final minute of the third quarter before taking a 59-40 lead with 8:31 remaining. The Marauders later scored five points in just over a minute before Bennett tallied five-consecutive points to cut the deficit to 64-48 at the 6:03-mark of the fourth quarter. Millersville then sealed the victory by mounting a 15-0 rally over nearly four minutes to take a 79-48 lead with 1:14 left to play.

Cal U shot a season-low 28.2 percent (20-of-71) from the floor, including 20.0 percent (4-of-20) from beyond the arc. In comparison, the Marauders shot at a blistering 59.6 clip (28-of-47) from the field and 50.0 percent (8-of-16) from long range. Millersville finished with a 40-27 rebounding advantage, while Cal U forced 32 turnovers and its bench accounted for 32 points.

Junior Lauren Lister, the 2019 PSAC East Athlete of the Year, scored a game-high 26 points on 11-of-15 from the field. She also collected six rebounds, four assists, one block and four steals in the victory. Fellow junior Olivia Mottern finished with 13 points and six rebounds, while classmate Mia Leonard recorded seven points, 13 rebounds (six offensive) and four blocks.

The Vulcans are idle for nearly two weeks before opening PSAC West play by hosting Pitt-Johnstown on Jan. 3 at 5:30 p.m.