Complete Game Notes (PDF) / PSAC Weekly Report

IUP (6-0, 4-0) at East Stroudsburg (3-3, 1-3)
Friday, December 9, 2011 / 5:30 p.m.
Koehler Fieldhouse / East Stroudsburg, PA

Live Stats - ESUWarriors.com
Live Audio - RedZoneMedia.com

IUP (6-0, 4-0) at Kutztown (3-6, 2-2)
Saturday, December 10, 2011 / 2:00 p.m.
Keystone Arena / Kutztown, PA

Live Audio - RedZoneMedia.com

AT A GLANCE
The Crimson Hawks look to remain undefeated this weekend as they travel to face East Stroudsburg and Kutztown in their second straight PSAC crossover. IUP is 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the conference after home wins over Bloomsburg and Mansfield last weekend. The Warriors enter with a 1-3 mark in conference while the Golden Bears are an even 2-2.

LAST TIME OUT
IUP went 2-0 last weekend with wins over PSAC East opponents Bloomsburg and Mansfield.

In the 84-79 upset over the Huskies on Saturday, Fr. G Marita Mathe (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) came off the bench to score a season-high 19 points, helping IUP hold off a late Bloomsburg rally. Four other players reached double-figures in scoring for IUP, with Jr. F Sarah Pastorek (Johnstown/Bishop McCort) scoring 14 and Fr. F Ashley Stoner (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Thomas Jefferson), Fr. G Leslie Stapleton (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) and Sr. F Vianca Tejada (Pennsauken, NJ/Cherry Hill East) each chipping in 11 points.

It was an easier task for IUP on Sunday, as the Crimson Hawks led by 21 at the break en route to their 89-67 win over Mansfield. Pastorek fell one point shy of tying her career-high with 27 points, connecting on 11-14 from the field and grabbing 8 rebounds in 26 minutes. Stapleton added 15 points, hitting 3 3's, while Stoner scored 12 and Tejada had 10 points.

THE LEADER
IUP leans on Jr. F Sarah Pastorek (Johnstown/Bishop McCort), the best all-around player for the Crimson Hawks. Tops on the team with 14.3 ppg so far this season, she owns a 59.0 FG%, connecting on 36-61 from the field. Also second on the team with 5.7 rpg, Pastorek has 13 assists, 11 steals and is on the court for 22.3 mpg.

Last season Pastorek led IUP in scoring (12.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg), and is the top returner in FG% (49.1), assists (42), blocks (16) and steals (56).

16 times Pastorek led IUP in rebounding last year, grabbing 10 or more six times and posting six double-doubles. She also reached double-figures in scoring 20 times in her 26 games played a season ago.

PSAC WEST FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Fr. G Marita Mathe (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) was named PSAC West Athlete of the Week on Monday after averaging 17.0 ppg, shooting 68.8 percent (11-16) from the field, helping to lead IUP to wins over Washington Adventist and Bloomsburg. She was a perfect 5-5 from the field against the Shock on Tuesday and finished 8-11 (72.7 pct.) from 3-point range.

PROVIDING A SPARK
Sr. F Vianca Tejada (Pennsauken, NJ/Cherry Hill East) has has given the Crimson Hawks scoring off the bench this season, second on the team with 11.3 ppg. She's reached double-figures in scoring in five of the six games, including a team-high 19 points in just 22 minutes in the five-point win over Shippensburg.

Tejada has been efficient from the field with a 53.5 FG% (23-43), going 7-9 from the field in the win over Washington Adventist. She's also gotten involved in other areas, grabbing 7 rebounds with 5 assists at Cheyney and coming up with 3 steals last Tuesday.

BENCH PRODUCTION
Led by Tejada, the Crimson Hawks bench has been a huge part of the team's perfect 6-0 start, outscoring opponents 235-68 for the season. Using anywhere from five-to-seven  players off the bench, IUP has owned a huge advantage in every game, including a 59-2 advantage in the win over Washington Adventist last Tuesday.

POST PLAY
Fr. F Ashley Stoner (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Thomas Jefferson) has provided production down low for the Crimson Hawks, scoring 11.2 ppg and grabbing a team-leading 5.8 rpg so far this season. Boasting a 55.6 FG% (25-45), Stoner has been even better when she gets to the charity stripe, where she's gone 17-19 (89.5 pct.).

Stoner scored a season-high 19 points in the Crimson Hawks win over Cheyney, going 5-7 from the field and 9-10 from the line, and has grabbed at least 6 boards in five of six games this year.

SHOOTING THE “3”
Fr. G's Amy Fairman (Creekside, Pa. /Marion Center), Leslie Stapleton (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) and Mathe have helped IUP to the top 3FG% in the PSAC, shooting 42.3 pct. (47-111) so far this year.

Mathe is second in the PSAC, knocking down 62.5 percent of her shots (10-16) on the year, including a 5-8 day against Bloomsburg and a perfect 3-3 against Washington Adventist.

Stapleton is fourth with a 56.0 3FG%, hitting 14-25 from long range, while Fairman has gone 8-29 on the season, but started the year by hitting 8-17, a 47.1 percent clip.

As a team, the Crimson Hawks have made at least six 3-pointers in each game, going 9-14 against Shippensburg.

THE TRANSFERS
A trio of transfers have seen valuable playing time this year for IUP, with So. G Talen Watson (Odenton, MD/Arundel) earning a start in each game. Transferring from UMass, Watson played in 21 games last year for the Minutewomen, starting a pair and averaging 10.0 mpg. So. G Jen Rasko (Windber/Windber) (Fairmont State) and So. F Melanie Todd (Springfield, VA/West Springfield) (Lincoln Memorial) have also seen time, combining to score 27 points and grab 34 rebounds.

THE LOCALS
Three Crimson Hawks freshmen are from area schools, including a pair from Indiana HS. Mathe and Stapleton played for the Little Indians while Fairman graduated from Marion Center. They'll look to play an important role for the Crimson Hawks this season.

THE DOW FILE
Jeff Dow (Oregon '88) enters his fourth season as the head coach at IUP after leading the Crimson Hawks to a record of 19-8, 11-3 in the PSAC West and an appearance in the PSAC Quarterfinals last season.

Dow has a record of 68-24 at IUP and has led the Crimson Hawks to three consecutive PSAC tournament appearances during his tenure. Over the course of his first three years, Dow has set school records in winning 10 or more games in three consecutive seasons in PSAC West divisional games and for overall winning percentage in PSAC West games (.761).