GLENVILLE, W.Va. (March 15) – The No. 22 and fourth-seeded Vulcans raced out to 28-point lead in the first half before claiming an 82-71 victory over fifth-seeded Charleston (W.Va.) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night at the Waco Center on the campus of Glenville State.

With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team improves to 25-5 overall and advances to face host and top-seeded Glenville State tomorrow, Saturday, March 16, at 7:30 p.m. The Vulcans reach the 25-win mark for the fourth time in the last five seasons and the 11th time in program history. Meanwhile, Charleston finishes the year with a 25-7 mark for its winningest season since 2011.

Sophomore Bianca Jasper (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) scored a career-high 20 points (15 first half) on 5-of-11 shooting and eight-of-nine from the free-throw line. She also added six rebounds, six assists and four steals while playing all 40 minutes. Jasper entered play averaging 6.3 points per game this season despite scoring in double-digits four times in the previous seven games.

Senior Abbey Sporio (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) tallied 16 points in the first half before finishing the game with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting and five rebounds (four offensive). Redshirt senior Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) posted 17 points (15 second half) and a team-high seven rebounds despite playing just two minutes in the first half due to foul trouble. She also moved into fifth place on the school's single-season scoring list with 647 points, surpassing Sara McKinnery and her 632 points scored during the 2004 NCAA National Championship season. Freshman Lauren Bennett (Buckhannon, W.Va./Buckhannon-Upshur) made her first career start on Friday and registered seven points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals in 32 minutes.

The teams traded baskets in the opening minutes before Barrett was forced to the bench with her second foul at the 8:00-mark of the first quarter. The Golden Eagles scored on their initial possession with Barrett on the bench before the Vulcans rallied off 11-consecutive points, all by Jasper and Sporio, to take a 19-7 lead with 4:04 left in the quarter. Charleston snapped the scoreless drought at the 3:52-mark before Cal U closed the quarter with another 11-unanswered points to take a 30-9 lead. In the first quarter, the Vulcans shot an impressive 12-of-18 from the floor and the duo of Jasper and Sporio scored 23 points.

Charleston mounted a 6-2 run early in the second quarter to work the deficit down to 34-15 with 5:55 left before the break. The Vulcans responded with an 11-2 rally, capped by a three-pointer from Bennett, in just over two minutes to take a 45-17 lead at the 3:15-mark. Charleston continued to trim the deficit in the closing minutes of the quarter with a 7-2 run before Sporio made a jumper with nine seconds left to give Cal U a 51-26 lead at halftime. The Vulcans finished the first half shooting 59.5 percent (22-of-37) from the floor and scored 16 second-chance points on nine offensive rebounds.

Midway through the third quarter, the Golden Eagles mounted an 8-2 run over three minutes to trim the deficit to 57-38 at the 4:19-mark. Charleston later scored six-straight points in the quarter before Barrett made a jumper with eight seconds left to give Cal U a 63-46 lead at the end of the third. Barrett scored 10 of the 12 points for the Vulcans in the quarter, while the Golden Eagles shot 10-of-15 from the floor.

Charleston continued its surge in the fourth quarter, trimming the deficit to single digits at 65-58 with 5:50 left to play. The Vulcans made their initial field goal of the quarter on the next possession at the 5:20-mark and Cal U later scored six of eight points to take a 73-63 lead with 2:23 remaining. Charleston answered with a basket on the ensuing possession before being held scoreless for over one minute. The Vulcans then sealed the victory by converting 9-of-12 from the free-throw line in the final 1:03 of the contest.

The Vulcans finished the game shooting 50.8 percent (31-of-61) from the floor and converted 73.9 percent (17-of-23) from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles shot at a 57.1 clip (32-of-56) from the field and scored 56 points in the paint. Cal U held a commanding 40-21 rebounding advantage that led to 21 second-chance points. The bench for the Vulcans also accounted for 17 points, including 10 in the second quarter with Barrett on the bench.

Charleston senior Raziyah Farrington, who was a first-team all-region selection earlier this week, finished with 20 points on 10-of-18 shooting and played all 40 minutes despite battling foul trouble. Junior Anna Hayton, an All-MEC First-Team honoree, added 15 points and five rebounds, while sophomore Brooklyn Pannell posted 12 points and four steals in the loss.

Cal U will face Glenville State in the second of the NCAA Tournament tomorrow at the Waco Center with tip-off at 7:30 p.m. The Pioneers are on a 21-game winning streak and are the highest scoring offense in all NCAA divisions this season.