wbb team at glenville pregame
Jeff Helsel, Cal U

Women's Basketball Matthew Kifer, Sports Information Director

NCAA Tournament Preview: IUP

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

TICKETS
Adults - $7
Children/Students/Seniors - $5

STORYLINES
• Last time out: Cal U claimed an 87-77 overtime victory over Glenville State, the highest scoring team in the country, on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
• The Vulcans are making their 16th NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 18 years and hold an all-time record of 33-13 in the NCAA Tournament.
 
ABOUT THE VULCANS
• In her eighth season as head coach, Jess Strom ranks second in school history with 191 victories behind four 25-win seasons in the last five years.
• Cal U ranks second in the Atlantic Region with both 13.9 steals per game and a plus-9.29 turnover margin per game.
• Senior Seairra Barrett is the only player in the Atlantic Region to rank among the top 15 in the region this season in scoring, rebounds and steals.
 
ABOUT THE CRIMSON HAWKS
• The 2019 PSAC West Coach of the Year, Tom McConnell is already the winningest coach in program history with a 146-37 overall record in six seasons.
• The Crimson Hawks are one of only two teams in the Atlantic Region to rank among the top 10 in the region in both scoring offense and scoring defense.
• Senior Lauren Wolosik ranks fourth in the region and 10th in the country with 6.1 assists per game while also averaging 12.3 points per game.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
• Cal U and IUP are meeting in the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight year after the Crimson Hawks claimed a 90-65 win over the Vulcans in the first round.
• The Vulcans swept the regular-season series with the Crimson Hawks this year, posting victories when IUP was Nos. 1 and 3 in the WBCA Top 25 poll.
• This marks the fourth-straight year in which the teams will meet in the post-season, as Cal U and IUP played for the PSAC Championship in both 2016 and 2017.
 
SOMETHING ELITE
Cal U will be playing in its ninth regional championship in program history, all since 2002, on Monday. The Vulcans hold a 6-2 record in regional finals and advanced to the Elite Eight five times in eight years from 2002-09. Cal U most recently played for the Atlantic Regional Championship in 2016 when it suffered a loss to Virginia Union at Hamer Hall. The 2019 Elite Eight will be hosted in Columbus, Ohio, from March 26-29.
 
FAMILIAR FOE
The Vulcans are facing a fellow PSAC member in the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in their last 10 appearances, a span that dates back to 2008. Cal U holds a 7-3 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament against league opponents, including a 3-1 mark in Atlantic Regional Championships with victories over Millersville (2008), Gannon (2009) and Bloomsburg (2015).
 
MAKING THEM COUNT
IUP ranks ninth in NCAA Division II this season with a .382 three-point field-goal percentage. Despite the impressive percentage, the Crimson Hawks only sit No. 166 in the country in three-pointers attempted and average 6.5 three-pointers made per game. IUP features three players with at least 40 three-pointers made this season with junior Natalie Myers pacing the team with a .419 clip (52-of-124) from beyond the arc.
 
WITHIN REACH
Redshirt senior Seairra Barrett is one of the most prolific scorers in school history with over 1,900 career points. However, she also enters the regional championship just three rebounds shy of becoming the fourth player in school history with 1,000 career rebounds. Additionally, Barrett - the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year in both 2016 and 2019 - ranks seventh all-time at Cal U with 258 steals.
 
BALANCED EFFORT
All five starters for the Crimson Hawks scored in double-digits in each of their previous two victories in the NCAA Tournament. Last weekend, IUP won its second PSAC Championship in three years with a 72-57 victory over Kutztown. Senior Carolyn Appleby, a two-time All-PSAC West First-Team selection, leads the team in scoring this year with 17.8 points per game, while three other starters average double-digits.
 
BREAKOUT BIANCA
Sophomore Bianca Jasper has scored a career-high 20 points in each of the last two games to help the Vulcans advance to the regional championship. She entered the NCAA Tournament ranked fifth on the team in scoring this season at 6.3 points per game. However, Jasper is shooting a combined 11-of-26 from the floor and 15-of-17 from the free-throw line this post-season, plus has collected 15 rebounds.
 
TURNOVER BATTLE
IUP leads the Atlantic Region in fewest turnovers per game, committing just 13.2 per game. However, Cal U sits third in the country by forcing opponents into an average of 24.39 turnovers per game. The Vulcans forced the Crimson Hawks into at least 20 turnovers in both regular-season meetings this season, including a season-high 21 turnovers on Jan. 23. In the NCAA Tournament, Cal U has forced a combined 36 turnovers and tallied 16 steals.
 
SURGING SPORIO
Senior Abbey Sporio has been one of the top players at the regional tournament, nearly recording a triple-double on Saturday against Glenville State. In the win, she set career highs with 24 points and nine steals and also collected eight rebounds and four assists. Sporio is averaging 16.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 3.0 steals over the last 11 games. The 5-foot-7 senior ranks sixth in school history with 279 career steals.
 
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Players Mentioned

Seairra Barrett

#5 Seairra Barrett

F
6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
Bianca Jasper

#1 Bianca Jasper

G
5' 6"
Sophomore
Abbey Sporio

#2 Abbey Sporio

G
5' 7"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Seairra Barrett

#5 Seairra Barrett

6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
F
Bianca Jasper

#1 Bianca Jasper

5' 6"
Sophomore
G
Abbey Sporio

#2 Abbey Sporio

5' 7"
Senior
G