STORYLINES

• Last time out: Junior Ciaira Loyd scored the game-winning basket with 0.6 seconds remaining as the second-seeded Vulcans advanced in the NCAA Tournament with a 52-51 victory over seventh-seeded IUP.

• Cal U is making its 14th appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament dating back to 2002.
 

• Head coach, Jess Strom is in her 11th season as head coach while leading the Vulcans to their sixth appearance in the second round of the Regional Tournament.

• Cal U ranks among the top three in the region in turnovers forced as it is averaging over 22 a game, while it caused 23 turnovers in the first round. 

• Junior Ciaira Loyd is averaging 18.0 points and 5.0 assists over her last four games as she leads the Vulcans while shooting .456 percent from the floor.
 

• In her second season as head coach, Tianni Kelly has guided the Golden Eagles to their second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance with a 41-11 overall record. 

• Charleston paces the region in three-point field goal percentage as they are shooting at a 37.9 percent clip while hitting over 7.5 threes a game.

• The Golden Eagles have four players averaging in double-digits, led by junior Markyia McCormick who is averaging 15.7 points per game.
 
 

• Cal U and Charleston are meeting in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time as the Vulcans have won the previous three meetings between the programs. 

• Cal U holds an 8-1 advantage in the series as the Vulcans captured a 63-54 win over the Golden Eagles in early November.  
 

With just under three seconds remaining on the clock, junior Ciaira Loyd was able to corral an offensive rebound and put up a contested game winning layup as she advanced the Vulcans to the second round of the NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament on Saturday evening.
 

Cal U is featuring one of the best defenses in the region, as they are only behind Glenville State and West Virginia State in turnovers forced per game, at 22.10. The Vulcans have forced 20 or more turnovers in 21 games this season while sitting fourth in the country with over 11.0 steals per game. Cal U forced 23 turnovers in their first round meeting against IUP and collected nine steals.
 

Charleston features two Mountain East Conference (MEC) selections in juniors Markiya McCormick and Dakota Reeves. McCormick was a MEC First-Team selection and paces the Golden Eagles with 15.7 points per game while shooting .800 percent from the foul-line. Reeves earned Second-Team status and is second on the team with 11.8 points per game while sitting third in the region with 2.81 three-pointers a game.
 

Cal U head coach Jess Strom, has led the Vulcans to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth-straight season and is making her sixth appearance in the second round of the tournament.  She holds a 4-1 mark in second round games while collecting an 87-77 overtime victory over top-seeded Glenville in 2019. Strom is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a 237-66 overall record.
 

The Golden Eagles are featuring a balanced attack on offense as they have four players averaging in double-digits. Despite McCormick and Reeves, junior Clarrissa Francis is scoring 11.3 points per game while collecting 4.3 rebounds and shooting .581 percent from the floor in just over 16 minutes of action. Classmate Trinity Palacio is scoring 10.8 points per game, grabbing 4.9 rebounds, collecting 1.4 seals and shooting .410 percent from long range.
 

Charleston head coach Tianni Kelly has featured early success in just her second year with the Golden Eagles. She was selected as the MEC Coach of the Year in her first season in 2021 and has guided Charleston to it's second-consecutive regional tournament appearance. She Took home the MEC Regular Season Championship (South Division), MEC Tournament Conference Championship, Atlantic Region Tournament Championship, and the programs first Elite 8 appearance since 2005 in her first season.
 

UPSET CENTRAL 

In the first round of the NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament, two teams captured upset victories on Friday. Sixth seeded Charleston knocked off the three seed Kutztown in the first game of the afternoon with a 78-68 victory. During the night cap, the fifth seeded Rams of Shepherd took down the fourth seed and PSAC Champions Gannon in a 93-89 double-overtime thriller at the Waco Center.
 

A native of neighboring Buckhannon, West Virginia, junior Lauren Bennett tallied seven points and tied the team-high with eight rebounds (three offensive) in the Vulcans first round victory over IUP. She paces Cal U with 60 total steals this season, which is good for eighth in the region while tallying 2.07 steals per game this year. Bennett sits second on the team with 5.7 rebounds a game while shooting at a .405 percent clip.