(Courtesy of IUP Sports Information)

California broke open a tie contest with a 26-11 run over the final six minutes as the Vulcans claimed the NCAA Division II East Region championship with an 86-71 victory over Shepherd on Monday night at Memorial Field House in Indiana, Pa. 

California (27-6) earned its first berth in the Elite Eight since winning the national championship in 2004 and third time overall in the past six years, all under head coach Darcie Vincent.

Shepherd (24-7), the WVIAC regular season champion, picked up victories against West Liberty State and Mount Olive to reach the finals of its first-ever regional tournament, but ran out of steam late against second-seeded California (27-6). 

Shepherd tied the game for the final time at 60-60 when Colleen Shumaker made a layup at the 6:50 mark.  However, the Rams would not score another field goal for over four minutes as the Vulcans pulled away.

All-tournament selection Brooque Williams led California with 23 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.  Shaquetta Mance added 22 points for the Vulcans.  Tournament MVP Lindsay Johnson and Kayla Smith each recorded 13 points and nine rebounds.

Johnson had a total of 46 points and 30 rebounds in the three tournament games to earn top honors in the regional. 

Katie Warehime paced Shepherd with 14 points, and Carrie Saunders contributed 13 points off the bench.  Laura Harkins posted solid all-around numbers of 11 points, seven rebounds, six blocks and five assists.  Krissy Grosselin also reached double figures for the Rams with 10 points.

Both teams shot just under 43 percent from the field, but California owned a 48-38 edge in rebounding.  The Vulcans also hit on 24 of 33 free throws compared to Shepherd's 11 for 17 effort.

2008 NCAA Division II All-East Region Team
Laura Harkins (Shepherd)
Katie Warehime (Shepherd)
Brooque Williams (California)
Lakeisha Monroe (Mount Olive)
MVP-Lindsay Johnson (California)