CALIFORNIA (March 2) – Sophomore Shauna Harrison (Sheffield, England/Myerscough) paced four players in double-digits with 17 points on Monday evening, as the Vulcans posted a 67-53 victory over Pitt-Johnstown in the first round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament at the Convocation Center.

With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team improves to 21-8 this season behind a 12-3 mark at home. Cal U advances to face top-seeded IUP in the quarterfinals of the league tournament on Wednesday, March 4, at 5:30 p.m. Meanwhile, the Mountain Cats finish the year with a 16-13 overall record while making a consecutive appearances in the PSAC Tournament.

Additionally, head coach Jess Strom tied Darcie Vincent for the most wins in school history on Wednesday. Strom has now earned 212 victories over nine seasons behind a combined 26-11 record in the PSAC Tournament and NCAA Tournament, including the 2015 NCAA National Championship.

Harrison scored a game-high 17 points after going 5-of-11 from beyond the arc. She also posted six rebounds, three assists and three steals while playing 38 minutes. Harrison averaged 19.0 points in three games against Pitt-Johnstown this season after going a combined 13-of-28 (46.4 percent) from long range.

Senior DJ Hahn (Warren, Pa./Warren) added 15 points and four rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench, while freshman Halle Herrington (Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola) and sophomore Brionna Allen (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) both scored 10 points in the win. Junior Bianca Jasper (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) matched her career high with 11 assists and also collected four rebounds and three steals on Monday, plus sophomore Lauren Bennett (Buckhannon, W.Va./Buckhannon-Upshur) led the team with a career-high seven rebounds.

After being held scoreless for the opening two minutes of the game, Cal U mounted a 12-2 run behind seven points from Allen to take a 12-6 lead with 5:49 left in the first quarter. The teams traded points for the remainder of the quarter with the Vulcans holding a 20-16 lead. UPJ started the second quarter with six-straight points to take a 22-20 lead before being limited to just three more points over the final 7:27 before halftime. Cal U responded with a 13-1 run to seize a 33-23 lead on a three-pointer by Herrington at the 1:56-mark of the second quarter. After the Mountain Cats made a unique one-handed jump shot in the final minute, the Vulcans scored two baskets in the final 11 seconds to take a 38-25 lead at the break.

The Vulcans started the third quarter on a 7-2 run to stretch the lead to as many as 17 points, 45-28, at the 6:24-mark. UPJ then made 7-of-13 from the floor to work the deficit down to 52-46 with 9:04 left to play. Hahn then scored the next six points for the Vulcans to build the lead to 58-49 with 4:01 remaining. Cal U later closed the game on a 9-2 run over the final three-plus minutes to claim the 67-53 victory.

Cal U finished the contest shooting 38.3 percent (23-of-60) from the field after going 11-of-24 (45.8 percent) from long range – its third-straight game with double-digit three-pointers. Meanwhile, UPJ converted 38.5 percent (20-of-52) from the floor and made 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) from the free-throw line. The Vulcans held a 41-31 rebounding advantage behind 16 offensive rebounds and recorded 17 assists on 23 field goals.

Seniors Alli McGrath and Gabrielle Smith tied for the team lead with 15 points on Monday. McGrath went 7-of-16 from the floor and collected five rebounds and two steals, while Smith added six rebounds in the contest. Freshman Olivia Fasick finished with 11 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals in the loss.

The Vulcans return to action on Wednesday when it travels to face IUP in the quarterfinals of the PSAC Tournament. Cal U and IUP will be meeting in the post-season for the fifth-straight campaign after the teams split the regular-season series this year.