Complete Game Notes (PDF) / PSAC Weekly Release

No. 18 IUP (15-2, 11-2) at Slippery Rock (5-12, 2-11)
Saturday, January 28, 2012 / 1:00 p.m.
Morrow Field House / Slippery Rock, PA

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AT A GLANCE
The Crimson Hawks are back on the road for the third straight Saturday as they travel to Slippery Rock this weekend in a rivaly game. IUP is looking to go 2-0 this week and move up from 18th in the polls with their ninth straight win over its bitter PSAC West foe. The Rock has lost three straight games and five of their last six, although they played tougher at home, winning three of their games this season at the Morrow Field House.

LAST TIME OUT
Led by an outstanding shooting performance by Fr. G Marita Mathe (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana), the Crimson Hawks defeated Lock Haven 62-49 on Wednesday night at the KCAC. The first year guard connected on 7 3-pointers, tying a single game school record, finishing 7-9 from long range for a career-high 21 points in 27 minutes off the bench.

The game was tight in the early going as neither team could really get much going, before IUP opened up a big lead and cruised to the win. Mathe would hit two of her 3's in the opening 20 minutes then go 5-6 in the second half, tying Lacey Claar (Imler, Pa./Claysburg-Kimmel), who knocked down 7 against Clarion back on Jan. 13, 2010.

Jr. F Sarah Pastorek (Johnstown/Bishop McCort) scored 11 points while Fr. G Amy Fairman (Creekside, Pa. /Marion Center) added 6 points, 8 boards, 5 assists and 4 steals.

NATIONAL POLLS
Despite going 1-1 last week, the Crimson Hawks remain steady in the rankings, staying at 18th in the latest USA Today/ESPN Division II Coaches Poll released by the WBCA. This is the fourth straight week IUP is in the top 25.

FAST START
IUP's 15-2 start is one of its best ever, winning its first 11 games before a 58-55 heartbreaking loss to Millersville. The perfect 11-0 mark was its best start to a season since the program went 16-0 to begin the 1999-2000 season. That year IUP finished 24-5, advancing to the NCAA East Region semifinals.

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 13.6 ppg this season, she owns a 49.2 FG%, connecting on 93-189 from the field. Also 1st on the team with 7.5 rpg, Pastorek leads the team with 35 steals and 12 blocks and is 3rd with 31 assists.

Pastorek has three double-doubles so far this year and has led IUP in scoring 10 times and rebounding eight times.

FRESHMAN BACKCOURT
Getting valuable playing time as true freshmen this year are G's Amy Fairman (Creekside, Pa. /Marion Center), Marita Mathe (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) and Leslie Stapleton (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana). An all-around threat, Fairman averages 5.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 2.9 apg, adding 32 steals. She's also knocked down 15 3's and has an 87.0 FT%. Against Lock Haven she had 6 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.

Mathe has played in 12 games, averaging 8.3 ppg with a 51.4 3FG%. She tied an IUP single game record for 3's with 7 against Lock Haven, scoring 21 points. She also scored 19 points earlier this season against Bloomsburg, going 5-8 from 3.

Stapleton has also played in 12 games with seven starts, averaging 8.1 ppg with an 86.7 FT%. She's reached double-figures five times, scoring 11 points in 13 minutes in her return to the court on Jan. 14 at Clarion.

SHOOTING THE “3”
IUP is one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the PSAC, making 36.3 percent of its 259 attempts, good for 3rd in the league.

Five players have made at least 15 3's, led by Mathe who has 19. Stapleton has knocked down 18 while Sr. G Arika Ullman (Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) has hit 17 3's on the season. Fairman and So. G Talen Watson (Odenton, MD/Arundel) are two more threats, each with 15 3's on the season. IUP has made 6 3's in a game nine times this season, going 10-23 against Lock Haven.

PLAYING DEFENSE
IUP is playing some of the best defense in the PSAC, leading the conference both in points given up (52.3 ppg) and field goal percentage (33.8). The Crimson Hawks are 6th in the conference in forcing turnovers, making opponents give up possession 22.4 times per game, including a season-high 38 turnovers against Washington Adventist.

The Crimson Hawks are also 7th in the PSAC in steals with 10.9 spg, getting a combined 41 swipes in a three-game set against Mansfield, ESU and Kutztown.

INTO THE STARTING LINEUP
After coming off the bench the first 12 games of the season, Sr. F Vianca Tejada (Pennsauken, NJ/Cherry Hill East) has started the last five, averaging 23.0 mpg. Against Edinboro and Mercyhurst she averaged 9.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg with a 50.0 FG% and a 75.0 FT%. Against Edinboro, Tejada scored a team-high 13 points on 4-8 shooting, grabbing 8 boards with added 4 assists.

BENCH PRODUCTION
Led by Mathe, Stapleton and Tejada, the Crimson Hawks bench has been a huge part of the team's 15-2 start, outscoring opponents by an average of 27.6-12.2. Using anywhere from five-to-seven  players off the bench, IUP has owned a huge advantage in nearly every game, including a 30-10 point spread in the road win at Clarion.

10 different players average at least 15 minutes per game while nine regular players average more than 4.8 points per game.

POST PLAY
Fr. F Ashley Stoner (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Thomas Jefferson) has provided additional production down low for the Crimson Hawks, adding 10.4 ppg and 5.6 rpg, both 2nd on the team. Boasting a 50.0 FG% (48-96), Stoner has been even better when she gets to the charity stripe, where she's gone 39-45 (86.7 pct.).

Returning to the court for the first time in two weeks against Lock Haven, Stoner played an effective 13 minutes with 8 points and 4 rebounds. She's reached double-figures in scoring eight times, including a season-high 19 against Cheyney.

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 77-26 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).