CALIFORNIA (Jan. 25) – The Vulcans suffered their third-straight loss on Saturday afternoon by dropping a 62-55 contest against Mercyhurst at the Convocation Center in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team falls to 13-6 this season behind a 7-6 record in conference action. The Vulcans suffered their first home loss in the series against the Lakers since Mercyhurst joined the league in the 2008-09 campaign. Meanwhile, the Lakers improve to 5-14 overall with a 5-8 mark in league play under first-year head coach Brooklyn Kohlheim.

Freshman Halle Herrington (Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola) led the team with 11 points behind a pair of three-pointers. She also added two steals while playing 36 minutes in her second career start.

Junior Bianca Jasper (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) posted 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals on Saturday. Sophomore Lauren Bennett (Buckhannon, W.Va./Buckhannon-Upshur) added nine points, four rebounds and two steals while making her fourth-consecutive start. Classmate Shauna Harrison (Sheffield, England/Myerscough) finished with nine points, two assists and two steals, while fellow sophomore Brionna Allen (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) collected six points, five rebounds (three offensive) and two assists against the Lakers.

The Vulcans opened the game on an 8-2 run before the Lakers scored back-to-back baskets to cut the deficit to 8-6 at the 6:33-mark. Midway through the quarter, the teams traded baskets before both teams were held scoreless for nearly two minutes. Cal U then closed the first quarter on 7-2 rally to extend the lead to 20-12. Mercyhurst responded by scoring seven of the initial 10 points in the second quarter to trim the deficit to 23-19 with 5:12 left before halftime. The Vulcans countered with six-consecutive points and held the Lakers scoreless for over three minutes to take a 29-19 lead at the 2:32-mark. Cal U entered the break with a 31-22 lead behind a combined 15 points by Harrison and Herrington.

Cal U scored the opening two baskets of the third quarter before Mercyhurst tallied 10-straight points in under two minutes to trim the deficit to 35-32 at the 6:03-mark. Following a jumper by the Vulcans, the Lakers mounted a 13-1 run to seize a 45-38 lead with 1:07 left in the quarter. Bennett then snapped a nearly five-minute drought by Cal U without a field goal before Mercyhurst took a 47-40 lead at the end of the third quarter. The Lakers made a pair of three-pointers in a 90-second span early in the fourth quarter to stretch the lead to 54-42 with 6:02 remaining. Cal U then rallied off eight of the next nine points to cut the deficit to 55-50 with 2:43 left to play before the teams traded points for the remainder of the game.

The Vulcans shot 34.8 percent (23-of-66) from the field while going 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) from three-point territory. Meanwhile, the Lakers made 53.2 percent (25-of-47) from the floor and converted four-of-seven from long range in the second half. Mercyhurst finished with a 39-29 rebounding advantage despite 12 offensive rebounds by Cal U, which also forced 23 turnovers in the contest.

Senior Amber Renz scored a game-high 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting and added six rebounds on Saturday. Junior Emily Shopene finished with 16 points and six rebounds, while senior Kori Sidwell tallied seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals in the victory.

Cal U closes the opening round of PSAC West play on Wednesday, Jan. 29, when it hosts Clarion at 5:30 p.m.