SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University women's basketball team held No. 9 Cal U. to 32-percent shooting on Saturday and posted a 56-20 edge in points in the paint to defeat the previously-unbeaten Vulcans, 80-66, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover matchup from Heiges Field House.
 
Shippensburg (5-4, 2-1 PSAC) shot 75 percent (12-of-16) from the field in a 30-point fourth quarter to pull away from Cal U. (7-1, 2-1) in a game that featured 11 ties and eight lead changes. It is SU's first home victory over Cal since November 2011 and ends a five-game losing streak in the overall series.
 
The Raiders charged out of the gates with crisp passing and an efficient offense, establishing an 11-2 lead just more than four minutes into the contest. Yet the game was remarkably close for most of the duration: from the 2:20 mark of the first quarter through the 3:05 mark of the third quarter, neither team led by more than one possession (three points).
 
Cal held a 48-42 lead with 2:02 left in the third, but the Raiders countered with an 8-0 run to close the quarter and would not trail the rest of the way. Another 8-0 run put Shippensburg up 58-50 with 7:23 remaining, followed by a third 8-0 run that allowed the Raiders to lead by 15 points with 4:27 left.
 
SU shot a season-high 50.8 percent, marking its first time above 50 percent from the field all season. The Raiders, who entered with a +9.3 rebound margin, posted a 47-36 edge on the glass and also scored 20 points off turnovers.
 
Junior Ariel Jones led all players with 24 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter. She was 5-of-7 from the field over the final 10 minutes, while Cal as a team was 5-of-13 over the same span. Jones added five rebounds and three assists and was 6-of-8 at the free-throw line.
 
Junior Destiny Jefferson scored 16 points, grabbed six rebounds, and handed out a game-high seven assists. Shippensburg finished with 20 assists as a team compared to 19 turnovers, as six of SU's seven players finished with multiple assists.  
 
Sophomore Aunbrielle Green scored 18 points, just three off her career high, on 8-of-10 shooting. Green also had six rebounds and three assists.
 
Junior Kryshell Gordy scored seven points and led all players with a season-high 13 rebounds, marking her first double-digit rebounding game of the season and the 19th of her career. She had three assists, and her excellent defense also yielded a steal and two blocks as well.
 
Sophomore Lauren Mills posted double figures for the third time in the last four games, finishing with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Mills added four rebounds, two assists, a block, and had three of SU's five steals.
 
Sophomore Lauren Pettis had two points and three rebounds but was limited to just eight minutes after an injury sustained late in the first half prevented her from finishing the game. Freshman Treasure George did not score any points but played integral minutes at guard and finished with two rebounds and two assists.
 
Transfer Monica Burns led Cal with 21 points on 6-of-16 shooting. The most efficient Vulcan was Brionna Allen, who had 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting to complement six rebounds and two steals.
 
Shippensburg's six-game homestand continues after next week's final exams with home games on December 20-21. The Raiders will host Pitt-Johnstown at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, December 20 from Heiges Field House.