Box Score

INDIANA, PA – 12 different players scored for the Crimson Hawks, which limited Bloomfield to 30.5 percent shooting as 22nd-ranked IUP posted a home opening 68-43 win in the Susan G. Komen “Shoot for the Cure” Classic.

The win moves the Crimson Hawks to 3-0 on the season, with Marita Mathe (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) leading the way with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting. She also added five rebounds and had three steals in 31 minutes.

It was slow going for both teams in the first half, as both teams combined for 15 points in the game's first 11 minutes of action.

IUP took a 10-8 lead at the 8:52 mark when Amy Fairman (Creekside, Pa. /Marion Center) knocked down a three-pointer from the corner, but Bloomfield hit two straight layups to jump back on top by two a minute later.

The lead would exchange seven times for the remainder of the first half, with neither team going up by more than three before the break. The Crimson Hawks closed out the first with a 6-2 run, getting a layup by Zhane Brooks (Erie, Pa. /Villa Maria) off a Fairman steal with five seconds left to head into the locker room with a 27-24 advantage.

IUP would use that late first half momentum into the second stanza, jumping out to a 16 point lead after opening with a 15-2 run. Fairman and Lindsay Stamp (Erie, Pa. /Mercyhurst Prep) keyed the run, scoring six and five points respectively, over the first 6:38 of the half.

The Crimson Hawks later scored a pair of three-pointers from Mathe and Talen Watson (Odenton, MD/Arundel) to jumpstart a 14-5 run as IUP took a 24-point lead at 59-35 with 4:12 left to play. The lead stretched to as many as 26 for the Crimson Hawks as they limited Bloomfield to just two field goals in the last 6:46 of play.

IUP forced 31 turnovers, including 15 in the second half as Bloomfield converted just 7-of-29 (24.1 percent) from the floor.

Fairman finished with nine points on 4-of-7 shooting while Watson had eight points. Melanie Todd (Springfield, VA/West Springfield) grabbed eight rebounds in just 18 minutes off the bench and Stamp and Marina Wareham (New Wilmington, Pa. /Kennedy Catholic) each chipped in with seven points apiece.

The Crimson Hawks shot 47.9 percent from the floor and outrebounded Bloomfield 39-33.

Prior to the game, Sarah Pastorek (Johnstown/Bishop McCort) was honored for scoring her 1,000th career point two weekends ago in IUP's win over Fairmont State. Head Coach Jeff Dow was also honored, as that win also gave him 200 career victories.

IUP is back in action on Wednesday night at the Kovalchick Complex, hosting Ursuline in the Indiana County Youth Basketball Night. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.