GAMEDAY CENTRAL
2016 PSAC Women's Basketball Championship
(W2) IUP Crimson Hawks (21-7, 16-6 PSAC)
at (W1) California (Pa.) Vulcans (23-5, 18-4 PSAC)
Sunday, March 6, 2016 | 3:00 p.m.
California, Pa. | Hamer Hall

Live Stats: SidearmStats.com | Fan Stats | Media Stats
Listen: WQMU 92.5 FM | u92radio.com
Watch: CALU-TV | calvulcans.com/watch
Live Updates: Twitter | @IUP_WBB

 

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CALIFORNIA, Pa. – Behind a career-high 33 points by senior guard Leslie Stapleton (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana), IUP defeated West Chester, 77-64, in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tournament semifinals Saturday afternoon.
 
The Crimson Hawks, the second seed out of the West division, advance to the program's first PSAC title game since 2009. IUP faces California (Pa.), who defeated Shippensburg, 78-62, in Sunday afternoon's championship game.
 
The Crimson Hawks came out of the gate hot, scoring 18 points in the first quarter and ended the stanza trailing by just two points against the Golden Rams. In the second quarter, sophomore guard Megan Smith (Blain, Pa./West Perry) connected on a layup to start a 9-0 run that took IUP from a two-point deficit to a seven point lead with under a minute left in the half.
 
In the first, the Crimson Hawks shot just 36.7 percent from the field, connected on four three-pointers to take a 31-29 lead into the locker room. Stapleton led IUP with 10 first-half points, while Smith chipped in with seven.
 
In the second half, it was all Stapleton, as she connected on six-of-nine shots, including a four-of-six effort from 3-point range, to score 23 in the half. IUP scored 45 second-half points, but sealed the game by going 14-14 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter.

Stapleton, who shoots free throws at a 94.3 percent clip, went 6-of-6 in the fourth quarter from the line.
 
Smith finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, while senior forward Zhane Brooks (Erie, Pa. /Villa Maria) had 12 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Carolyn Appleby (Greensburg, Pa. /Greensburg Central Catholic) scored 10 points in 24 minutes off the bench for the Crimson Hawks.
 
Sunday's championship game is set for a 3 p.m. tipoff at California, the defending conference and national champions. The Crimson Hawks are seeking their fifth PSAC championship and first since 2009.

For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.