Box Score

SHIPPENSBURG, PA – Vianca Tejada (Pennsauken, NJ/Cherry Hill East) scored 19 points in just 22 minutes off the bench and IUP held off a second half rally by the Raiders as the Crimson Hawks defeated Shippensburg 78-73 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover women's basketball action on Sunday afternoon.

The Crimson Hawks (3-0) took a 35-30 lead into the break and got a layup from Ashley Stoner (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Thomas Jefferson) within in the first minute of the second half to take a seven-point lead over Shippensburg. The Raiders would respond with a three-pointer by Dana Wert to cut it to four points before an IUP three by Talen Watson (Odenton, MD/Arundel), another layup by Stoner and a lay in by Sarah Pastorek (Johnstown/Bishop McCort) put the Crimson Hawks up by 11 points with over 17 minutes left.

Shippensburg then responded with back-to-back threes by Erin Varley, followed by a tip-in by Monae Baker and a two more threes, one by Baker and the second from Shawna Wert completed a 14-0 run by the Raiders, giving them a 47-44 lead with 14:13 left.

IUP stopped the run with a layup from Amy Fairman (Creekside, Pa. /Marion Center), but Shippensburg continued its three-point party with another one from Shawna Wert to take a 50-46 lead, its biggest of the game.

After trading baskets back-and-forth for the next six minutes, the Crimson Hawks broke a 59-all tie with a three-pointer from Tejada, going up 62-59 with 6:57 remaining in the game.

A layup by Baker brought Shippensburg back to within one, but foul shots from Tejada, followed by a layup by Pastorek and another foul shot by Tejada with 3:06 left got the Crimson Hawks lead back to four. After taking a six-point lead with 2:13 left, the Raiders kept it close with yet another three, this one from Dana Wert with 2:02 remaining.

The Crimson Hawks responded with a layup by Pastorek, followed by a second layup by Marita Mathe (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) off of a Shippensburg missed jumper, taking a seven-point lead with 55 seconds remaining in the game. Shippensburg would get another three by Dana Wert, but the Crimson Hawks made 3-of-5 foul shots down the stretch to keep the Raiders at bay, winning by five.

Despite the Raiders shooting 12-of-24 from three-point range and being outrebounded by Shippensburg 33-30, the Crimson Hawks capitalized on 17 turnovers and shot 53.8 percent from the field to get the win.

IUP got out to a quick 5-0 lead in the first half, before back-to-back threes by Shawna and Dana Wert gave the Raiders a 6-5 lead at the 17:31 mark. The Crimson Hawks would hold a seven-point lead twice before a pair of free throws by Melanie Todd (Springfield, VA/West Springfield) and a layup by Fairman gave them an 11-point lead less than six minutes later. IUP would again get back on top by 11 with 8:05 left, but the Raiders would go on a 13-7 run to cut their deficit to five heading into halftime.

Dana Wert led the Raiders in scoring with 20 points, hitting 6-of-10 from downtown, adding six assists in 40 minutes. Baker finished with 16 points and eight rebounds while Caitlin Bamberger had a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards. Shawna Wert went 3-of-6 from three and had a game-high eight assists.

Tejada scored her 19 points by hitting 9-of-16 from the charity stripe and 4-of-11 from the field. Pastorek added a season-high 18 points on an efficient 9-of-12 from the field in 27 minutes while Leslie Stapleton (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) had 10 points, hitting 3-of-4 from three-point range. Mathe came off the bench to score eight points and add six rebounds from her guard position in 23 minutes.

The Crimson Hawks are off until November 29 when they host Washington Adventist, tipping off at 6:30 p.m. from the Memorial Field House.