LOCK HAVEN, Pa. (March 9) – The Vulcans trailed by just one point in the closing seconds on Saturday afternoon before being eliminated from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament in the semifinals with a 54-51 loss to host and nationally-ranked Lock Haven.
With the loss, the California (PA) women's basketball team falls to 23-8 this season while suffering their first loss in over a month. The Vulcans were slotted sixth in the latest NCAA regional rankings prior to playing three games in the PSAC Tournament, including two against regionally-ranked programs. Meanwhile, the No. 22 Bald Eagles extend their winning streak to nine games and improve to 28-2 overall.
Junior
Sierra Bermudez scored a game-high 19 points (14 second half) on 7-of-12 shooting, including three-of-five from beyond the arc. She also reached the 1,000-point milestone on Saturday, as she scored 730 points over the previous two seasons at Clarion. Bermudez is averaging 9.0 points per game this year behind a .372 three-point field-goal percentage (55-of-148) while playing primarily off the bench.
Fellow junior
Allycia Harris registered a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds (eight offensive). She also was credited with four steals and two blocks in 35 minutes against the Bald Eagles. Redshirt senior
Dejah Terrell also posted a double-double on Saturday, finishing with 11 points, 13 rebounds (four offensive) and six blocks.
Both teams struggled offensively throughout the first half, as neither team scored 25 points before the break. Lock Haven held an 8-7 lead after the first quarter with the teams shooting a combined 6-for-29 (20.7 percent) from the floor. The Bald Eagles led by as many as seven points, 19-12, midway through the second quarter before the Vulcans cut the deficit to 19-17 with 51 seconds left before halftime. Lock Haven answered with a pair of baskets over the final 30 seconds to take a 24-17 lead at the break.
Cal scored six-straight points midway through the third quarter to work the deficit to 28-26 at the 3:02-mark. The Bald Eagles countered with a 10-2 run over two minutes to take their largest lead of the game at 38-28 with 44 seconds left in the quarter. The Vulcans made it a one-possession game at 40-37 early in the fourth quarter and later trailed by a 44-42 margin at the 2:51-mark. Lock Haven held a 51-46 lead with 1:01 left to play before Terrell scored a second-chance layup with 33 seconds remaining, 51-48. The Bald Eagles then converted one of two free-throws on the next possession before Bermudez cut the deficit to 52-51 with six seconds left to play. Lock Haven responded with a pair of free-throws before a last-second shot by Bermudez hit off the back of the rim as time expired, 54-51.
The Vulcans finished the game shooting 30.9 percent (21-of-68) from the floor while being held to a season-low 51 points for the third time this year. Lock Haven made 33.3 percent (20-of-60) from the floor and converted 10-of-14 (71.4 percent) from the free-throw line. Cal collected 21 offensive rebounds that led to 19 second-chance points (14 second half) and held a slight 47-45 rebounding advantage.
Lock Haven sophomore Alana Robinson, the 2024 PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Year, led the team with 16 points and added nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the win. Classmate Jenadia Jordan posted 13 points, five rebounds and five assists on Saturday.
The Bald Eagles will host No. 3 Gannon in the PSAC Championship tomorrow, Saturday, March 10, at 3 p.m. The Golden Knights advanced to the finals with a 79-73 win over West Chester in the semifinals behind 40 points by two-time, PSAC West Athlete of the Year Samantha Pirosko.
