Box Score

INDIANA, PA - A three-pointer at the buzzer by Millersville's Carly Gallagher put the finishing touches on a 17-point second half comeback as 24th-ranked IUP couldn't hold off the Marauders in a 58-55 loss in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) women's basketball crossover action on Saturday night at the Kovalchick Complex.

The loss drops the Crimson Hawks to 11-1 overall, 7-1 in the PSAC while Millersville improves to 8-4 and 5-3.

Featuring two of the top defensive teams in the conference, the matchup yielded 44 total turnovers, 22 for both IUP and Millersville. Neither team found it easy to convert their shots, with the Crimson Hawks making 18-of-57 (31.6 percent) of theirs while the Marauders made 17-of-50.

A three-pointer by Talen Watson (Odenton, MD/Arundel), who nailed three treys in last night's win, gave IUP a 39-22 lead at the 17:44 mark in the second half, giving the Crimson Hawks a giant advantage. The Marauders then began to chip away at the lead a minute later with a pair of free throws by Aurielle Mosley. After an IUP turnover, Mosley got the Marauders to within 13 at 39-26 with a jumper in the paint with 16:41 remaining.

Gallagher then knocked down back-to-back threes on the Marauders next two trips down the floor, capping off Millersville's 10-0 run to cut IUP's lead to 39-32 with 15:03 remaining.

The Marauders would get the deficit down to four just three minutes later but back-to-back layups by Sarah Pastorek (Johnstown/Bishop McCort) and Ashley Stoner (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Thomas Jefferson) put the Crimson Hawks back up by eight at 45-37 with 11:01 left. After another layup by Stoner almost two minutes later, Gallagher hit another three and Mosley connected on two more free throws to get Millersville to within three. The two teams would continue to go back-and-forth, with IUP getting tough layups by Amy Fairman (Creekside, Pa. /Marion Center) and Vianca Tejada (Pennsauken, NJ/Cherry Hill East) to keep five-point leads, but a trey by Gallagher with 5:32 left got the Marauders to within two before a pair of shots at the charity stripe by Mosley knotted the game at 51-apiece with 4:53 remaining.

The Crimson Hawks got their lead back, getting a layup by Melanie Todd (Springfield, VA/West Springfield) and a free throw by Watson to take a 54-51 lead with just under four left in the game. The Marauders would counter, getting a layup from Mosley on their next trip down the court to make it a one-point game.

After each team traded missed chances over the next 2:33, Millersville took the lead with two free throws by Leola Pinkney are a deadball foul with 49 seconds left. With the Marauders holding that 55-54 lead, Tejada got to the line when Mosley fouled out, but could only convert on one free throw with 27 seconds left to tie the game. On the following play, Mashira Newman found Gallagher on the right wing, connecting on a 26-footer as time expired for the comeback win.

The Crimson Hawks held a double-digit advantage for most of the first half, leading by as many as 13 several times before heading into the half up 32-21.

Mosley led all scorers with 28 points, going 14-of-16 at the line and 7-of-12 from the field. She recorded a double-double, grabbing 11 rebounds and blocking five shots. Gallagher finished with 18 points off the bench, scoring all of them on three-pointers as she went 6-of-11 from beyond the arc.

Stoner was the only IUP to reach double-figures in scoring, netting 10 points as she played just 20 minutes due to foul trouble. Pastorek added seven points and seven rebounds while Watson scored nine. Tejada scored eight points and Fairman grabbed seven boards.

IUP returns to the court on Wednesday, hosting PSAC West rival Cal at the Kovalchick Complex. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.