GLENVILLE, W.Va. (March 12) – The second-seeded California University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team, which was without its leading scorer and rebounder, was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament with a 52-34 loss against sixth-seeded Charleston (W.Va.) on Saturday evening at the Waco Center.

With the loss, the Vulcans finish the season with a 25-6 overall record as the program has posted at least 25 wins five times in the last seven seasons. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles improve to 23-8 this year and advance to face top-seed and host Glenville State in a rematch of last week's Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championship.

Junior Brionna Allen (Pittsburgh, Pa/Bishop Canevin) led the team with 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting. She also collected eight rebounds (five offensive) and two steals while playing 35 minutes. Allen set career highs in several statical categories this season, including 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.

Fellow junior Shauna Harrison (Sheffield, England/Myerscough) posted 11 points behind a trio of three-pointers and added eight rebounds (three offensive) and four steals. Classmate Lauren Bennett (Buckhannon, W.Va./Buckhannon-Upshur) established a career high with 11 rebounds (three offensive) and finished with three steals and two assists.

Cal U was without one of the premier players in the Atlantic Region, as junior Dejah Terrell (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) served a suspension following yesterday's ejection. She was deemed eligible to play by the NCAA, however, due to PSAC policies being more stringent the league commissioner upheld the suspension. Terrell was selected the PSAC West Athlete of the Year last week while averaging 18.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.63 blocks per game.

The Vulcans made a three-pointer on their initial possession of the game before the Golden Eagles scored a basket at the 8:24-mark. Cal U then scored 10-unasnwered points, all by Allen and Harrison, to end the first quarter with a 13-2 lead. The Golden Eagles committed six turnovers and missed nine-consecutive shots after scoring their lone points of the quarter. Charleston snapped a nearly 10-minute scoreless drought by converting a traditional three-point play with 8:47 left in the second quarter. The Vulcans scored nearly one minute later before both teams were held scoreless for over three-plus minutes. Charleston then rallied for 12-consecutive points to take 17-15 lead at halftime, as Cal U missed its final eight shots of the first half and committed four turnovers in the second quarter.

Cal U snapped a nine-plus minute scoreless drought with a layup by Allen at the 8:03-mark in the third quarter. The Golden Eagles answered eight-straight points to build the lead to 27-17 with 6:05 left in the quarter. Allen later scored on a layup before Charleston registered 14-consecutive points to stretch the lead to 41-19 with 9:12 remaining in the game. The Vulcans then mounted a 9-3 run to trim the deficit to 44-28 lead on a three-point play by sophomore Halle Herrington (Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola) at the 4:39-mark. The teams traded runs of six-straight points in the closing minutes before Charleston posted the 52-34 victory.

The Vulcans finished the game shooting only 19.7 percent (12-of-61) from the floor, including 3-of-30 (10.0 percent) from long range, after totaling just a combined six points in the second and third quarters. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles made 38.9 percent (21-of-54) from the field while going 3-of-18 (16.7 percent) from beyond the arc. Charleston posted a 45-35 rebounding advantage, while Cal U forced 23 turnovers that were converted into 17 points.

Charleston junior Clarrissa Francis led the team with 14 points on six-of-nine shooting and added five rebounds. Freshman Jamia Nesmith registered a double-double with 10 points and game-high 18 rebounds while playing 21 minutes off the bench. Junior Markyia McCormick, an All-MEC First-Team selection, scored 10 points in the victory.

The Vulcans made their eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Jess Strom.

Notes: The Atlantic Regional Championship will not feature a PSAC team for only the second time since 2006 (excluding 2020, 2021 due to covid) … Strom holds a 14-6 record in the NCAA Tournament … Terrell finished the year with 557 points, which ranks No. 14 on the school's single-season scoring list … Cal U finished the year with the program's top scoring defense in at least 30 years, allowing only 51.6 points per game