The second-seeded California University of Pennsylvania women’s basketball team cut a double-digit, second-half deficit to one point with less than 90 seconds left to play before suffering a 68-62 loss to third-seeded West Liberty in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Barco-Stephens Hall on Saturday evening.

With the loss, the Vulcans finish the year with a 25-6 overall record and have their 14-game winning streak snapped. Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers improve to 29-4 this season and advance to the regional championship game to face top-seed and host Virginia Union on Monday, March 14.

Junior guard Miki Glenn (Bridgeport, W.Va./Bridgeport) tied for the team lead with 18 points while shooting just 7-of-20 from the floor and being limited to just four free-throw attempts after averaging 6.7 free-throw made per game. She also posted four rebounds and six assists in the loss. Glenn finished the year with 598 points, which ranks seventh in single-season school history and is the most since the 2009-10 campaign.

Fellow junior Precious Martin (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) also scored 18 points (14 first half) after making 6-of-11 attempts from the field and six-of-six from the free-throw line. She added eight rebounds and two assists against the Hilltoppers. Sophomore Shatara Parsons (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) finished with 16 points (12 second half) on 8-of-19 shooting and seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Classmate Seairra Barrett (Center Twp., Pa./Central Valley) led the team with 12 rebounds and also totaled eight points, two assists and two blocks.
West Liberty opened the game on a 7-2 run, as Cal U made only one of its first four shots and committed two turnovers in the opening six-plus minutes of the game. The Vulcans later mounted a 10-5 run to tie the score at 14-14 on a layup by senior Paige Wright (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) with 1:48 left in the first quarter. West Liberty then scored the final four points of the quarter to take an 18-14 lead after Cal U shot just 5-of-17 in the first quarter.

Following an early basket by the Hilltoppers, the Vulcans scored six-straight points to tie the game at 20-20 on a jumper by Glenn with 8:24 remaining in the second quarter. The teams traded baskets for the next three minutes before Cal U tallied six-consecutive points to take its first, and only, lead of the game at 28-26 on a jumper by Martin with 3:41 left before halftime. The Hilltoppers then answered with seven-unanswered points to reclaim the lead at 33-28 with 1:59 remaining before the break. Cal U held West Liberty scoreless for the remainder of the quarter and cut the deficit to 33-31 at halftime.

Cal U scored in the opening seconds of the third quarter to tie the score at 33-33 before West Liberty made seven-consecutive shots to mount a 17-5 run and take a 50-38 lead with 3:52 left in the quarter. The Vulcans shot just 2-of-10 from the field during the nearly six-minute run. The teams traded baskets for the final four minutes with the Hilltoppers holding a 54-44 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Starting with a last-second basket in the third, the Vulcans scored eight-straight points to trim the deficit to 54-50 on a pair of free-throws by Barrett with 8:32 left to play. Cal U later trimmed the deficit to 56-54 on a layup by Parsons at the 6:59-mark before West Liberty countered with a 7-4 run to take a 63-58 lead with 4:08 remaining. The Vulcans scored the next four points to cut the lead down to 63-62, the smallest deficit since the opening minute of the third quarter, on a jumper by Glenn with 1:18 left in regulation. West Liberty made a layup on the ensuing possession before forcing a turnover on the next Cal U possession. The Vulcans were then forced to foul and the Hilltoppers sealed the win with three free-throws in the final 13 seconds.

Senior Kierra Simpson, the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Player of the Year, led all players with 22 points and 14 rebounds despite battling foul trouble in the second half. Classmate Liz Flowers finished with 18 points on 8-of-25 shooting after scoring 40 points yesterday, while fellow senior Kailee Howe added 15 points, six rebounds and seven assists.

The Vulcans have posted consecutive 25-win seasons for the first time since reaching the Elite Eight in both 2008 and 2009. Cal U lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for only the fifth time in school history (14 appearances) and the first time since 2011.