Box Score

INDIANA, PA - Freshman Marita Mathe (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) tied IUP's single game three-point record with seven treys on Wednesday night as the 18th-ranked Crimson Hawks defeated Lock Haven 62-49 in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division women's basketball matchup at the Kovalchick Complex.

Mathe's 21 points were a career-high, as she knocked down 7-of-9 from beyond the arc to lead the Crimson Hawks to the win as they improve to 15-2 overall, 11-2 in the PSAC West, remaining in a tie with Gannon for second place in the division.

The Crimson Hawks started the game where they left off on Saturday, with Arika Ullman (Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) hitting a three-pointer within the first minute to start the action. Sarah Pastorek (Johnstown/Bishop McCort) scored IUP's next four points but Lock Haven held a 10-7 lead in the game's first seven minutes before Mathe hit her first triple of the game at 12:57, tying the score at 10-10.

Another three by Ullman put the Crimson Hawks on top 13-10, but the Bald Eagles took the lead by scoring the next five points, getting two-point baskets by Samantha Lane and Peaches Nesmith, along with a free throw by Kelsey Ryan. The game would go more than two minutes without a basket, as both teams missed opportunities. Amy Fairman (Creekside, Pa. /Marion Center) would get the game going again, hitting a pair of free throws, jumpstarting a 9-0 run for the Crimson Hawks as they took a 22-15 lead with 5:35 to go. Mathe hit her second three during the run while Ashley Stoner (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Thomas Jefferson), seeing her first action in two weeks, hit layups on back-to-back possessions.

The Bald Eagles cut their deficit to two at the 2:00 mark, but Stoner's layup 46 seconds later helped give IUP a 26-22 halftime lead.

A layup by Pastorek on the first possession of the second half put IUP ahead by six, but Lock Haven battled back to tie the score at 30-30, getting three-pointers from Sharay Hall and Nesmith.

After both teams traded baskets, Mathe entered the game and immediately took it over, knocking down her third three at the 16:29 mark to put the Crimson Hawks up 37-33. That would be the beginning of a 14-2 run for IUP as Mathe hit two more treys on back-to-back possessions to help put the Crimson Hawks on top 48-35 with 14:29 left.

Her sixth three came at the 10:38 mark, extending IUP's lead to 12  while her record-tying seventh came with 8:03 remaining, putting the Crimson Hawks ahead by 14 at 54-40. IUP would lead by as many as 16 down the stretch, getting a three by Leslie Stapleton (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) for good measure, closing out Lock Haven for the 13-point victory.

Nesmith had 19 points for the Bald Eagles (7-9, 6-7), adding six rebounds and a pair of steals. Heather McHugh added 12 points while Hall had nine rebounds.

Mathe also set season-highs with four assists and 27 minutes played, grabbing five rebounds and adding a steal. Pastorek finished with 11 points, four rebounds and a block, while Stoner was extremely efficient in her 13 minutes off the bench, scoring eight points and grabbing four rebounds. Fairman had another excellent all-around game with six points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals.

The Crimson Hawks are back in action this weekend when they travel to face Slippery Rock on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.