INDIANA, Pa. (March 4) – The California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team erased a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit and held the lead in the closing seconds of regulation before suffering a 68-65 overtime loss at No. 7 IUP on Wednesday evening in the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament.

With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 21-9 overall and must now await a possible at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 8. Cal U was playing its first overtime game in the PSAC Tournament since the 2009 PSAC Championship. Meanwhile, the Crimson Hawks improve to 27-2 this season and secure hosting rights for the semifinals and finals of the PSAC Tournament.

Freshman Olivia Hudson (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) set a season high and led all players with 25 points while shooting 10-of-20 from the floor, including three-of-seven from beyond the arc. She also collected six rebounds and three steals in a season-high 32 minutes. Hudson has averaged 14.6 points over the last five games while playing 26.4 minutes off the bench.

Senior DJ Hahn (Warren, Pa./Warren) scored 13 points and added seven rebounds and two steals in 29 minutes off the bench. Junior Bianca Jasper (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) led the team with eight rebounds and five steals, while sophomore Lauren Bennett (Buckhannon, W.Va./Buckhannon-Upshur) finished with seven points, three rebounds and two assists.

The Vulcans trailed by 11 points in the opening minute of the fourth quarter before scoring the next seven points to trim the deficit to 54-50 with 5:48 left in regulation. Cal U later scored back-to-back baskets to cut the lead to 54-52 before IUP made its first field goal in nearly six minutes at the 3:25-mark. The Vulcans halted a two-minute scoreless drought when Hudson scored twice within a minute, as Cal U claimed a 59-58 lead with 56 seconds left. Hudson later converted a pair of free-throw with 19 seconds remaining before the Crimson Hawks tied the score at 61-61 with 12 seconds left in regulation.

The teams were scoreless for the opening 90 seconds of overtime before the teams traded baskets on consecutive possessions. IUP then made a three-pointer to take a 66-63 lead before Cal U converted a pair of free-throws at the 2:18-mark. Hahn was whistled for her fifth foul less than 30 seconds later and the score remained 66-65 until a pair of free-throw by IUP in the final second of the game.

Cal U made three of its initial four shots of the game to take an 8-2 lead at the 7:57-mark and forced an early timeout by IUP. The Crimson Hawks responded by scoring nine of the next 10 points to take an 11-9 lead with 3:19 left in the first quarter. Cal U then snapped a nearly six-minute drought without a field goal on a layup by Bennett at the 2:02-mark. The Vulcans scored twice in the final minute before the Crimson Hawks made a layup at the buzzer to tie the score at 15-15. The teams alternated baskets for the opening five minutes of the second quarter with IUP holding a 23-22 lead at the 5:17-mark. The Vulcans then mounted a 10-3 run to take a 32-26 lead on a layup by sophomore Brionna Allen (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) with 36 seconds remaining. IUP countered with a three-pointer on its next possession to the cut the deficit to 32-29 at the break.

The Crimson Hawks scored seven-straight points early in the third quarter to take a 39-34 lead at the 6:33-mark. IUP later built the lead to eight points before Cal U scored back-to-back baskets to trim the deficit to 47-43 with 1:15 left in the quarter. The Crimson Hawks countered with five-consecutive points to close the third quarter to take a 52-43 lead.
 
Cal U finished the game shooting 36.9 percent (24-of-65) from the floor while going 7-of-21 (33.3 percent) from long range. Meanwhile, IUP converted at a 41.3 clip (26-of-63) from the field after making 9-of-23 (39.1 percent) from beyond the arc. The Crimson Hawks finished with a 45-38 rebounding advantage, while the Vulcans forced 16 turnovers in the contest.

Junior Courtney Alexander led the Crimson Hawks with 17 points after going 5-of-10 from three-point territory. Senior Lexi Griggs finished with 15 points and seven rebounds despite battling first-half foul trouble, while classmate Natalie Myers registered a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

The selection show for the NCAA Tournament will be streamed live on Sunday at approximately 10 p.m.