SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. (Dec. 7) – The No. 9 California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team was held to a season-low shooting percentage on Saturday afternoon in an 80-66 loss at Shippensburg in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Crossover action.

With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 7-1 overall and hold a 2-1 mark in league play. Cal U entered play having won the last five meetings against Shippensburg and hadn't lost a road game in the series in over eight years. Meanwhile, the Raiders improve to 5-4 this season with a 2-1 record in conference action.

Senior Monica Burns (New Stanton, Pa./Hempfield) led the team with 21 points despite totaling just four points in the first half. She finished the game shooting 6-of-16 from the floor, including 3-of-10 from beyond the arc, and six-of-seven from the free-throw line. Burns recorded her fourth 20-point game of the year and totaled six rebounds and two assists in the contest.

Sophomore Brionna Allen (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) was the only other player to score in double-digits, finishing with 10 points on four-of-five shooting. She also added six rebounds and two steals on Saturday. Freshman Olivia Hudson (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) posted seven points and five rebounds off the bench while battling foul trouble. Sophomore Shauna Harrison (Sheffield, England/Myerscough) paced the team with eight rebounds in the loss.

Shippensburg opened the game on an 11-2 run after making five of its initial six shots. The Raiders also forced junior Bianca Jasper (Middletown, Pa./Middletown), who was averaging 13.0 points and 6.8 assists over the last five games, to the bench with a pair of fouls in the opening 2:35 of the game. Cal U responded with an 8-1 run to cut the deficit to 12-10 with 3:21 left in the first quarter following back-to-back baskets by Hudson. The Vulcans later tied the score at 14-14 before neither team converted a field goal over the last 1:53 of the quarter. Cal U made a pair of three-pointers in the opening minute of the second quarter to take a 20-17 lead before Shippensburg countered with three-unanswered baskets to reclaim the lead at 23-20 with 7:41 left before the break. The teams traded points for the next four minutes before the Vulcans posted a 6-2 run to take a 33-31 lead with 2:27 remaining in the second quarter. Shippensburg scored on the next possession before the teams entered halftime tied at 33-33.

In the third quarter, Burns and Allen accounted for all of the team's 15 points. Allen scored six points early in the quarter to give Cal U a 39-37 lead at the 6:19-mark. Burns later scored all nine of the team's points during a 9-2 run to stretch the lead to 48-42 with 2:02 left in the quarter. The Raiders would then score eight-unanswered points to close the quarter with a 50-48 lead. Allen tied the score in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter with a pair of free-throws before Shippensburg rallied off eight-straight points to take 58-50 lead with 7:23 remaining in the game. The Vulcans went nearly six minutes without a field goal before Burns made a pair of three-pointers in just over 30 seconds to trim the deficit to 61-56 with 6:35 left to play. Shippensburg responded with 10-unanswered points to take a 71-56 lead before Cal U worked the deficit down to single-digits, 71-62, at the 3:44-mark. However, the Raiders made three-of-four from the floor and three-of-five from the charity stripe in the final minutes to seal the victory.

Cal U finished the game shooting 31.9 percent (22-of-69) from the floor, which was nearly 10 points lower than its season average. Meanwhile, Shippensburg made a blistering 50.8 clip (32-of-63) from the field after going 12-of-16 in the fourth quarter. The Raiders held a 47-36 rebounding advantage and scored 56 points in the paint, while allowing the Vulcans to collect just eight steals.

Junior Ariel Jones, who ranked fourth in the nation in scoring last year, led all players with 24 points after going 8-of-20 from the floor and six-of-eight from the free-throw line. Sophomore Aunbrielle Green posted 18 points, six rebounds and three assists, while junior transfer Destiny Jefferson finished with 16 points, six rebounds and seven assists.

The Vulcans are idle for over a week before returning to action on Dec. 17 when they host West Virginia State in non-conference play at 5:30 p.m.