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No. 3 IUP (21-5, 17-5) vs. No. 2 Gannon (21-5, 18-4)
Tuesday, February 28, 2012 / 7:00 p.m.
Hammermill Center / Erie, PA

Live Stats - GannonSports.com
Live Video - B2LiveTV.com
Live Audio - RedZoneMedia.com

AT A GLANCE
The third seeded Crimson Hawks begin their quest for their fifth conference title when they travel North to Erie to face second seeded Gannon in the quarterfinals of the 2012 PSAC Women's Basketball Tournament. IUP has won three straight by an average of 14.7 ppg, including a 69-64 home win over the Golden Knights to end the season this past Saturday.

LAST TIME OUT
IUP ended its regular season on a strong note, defeating Gannon on Senior Day 69-64 after honoring Sr. G Arika Ullman (Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) and Sr. F Vianca Tejada (Pennsauken, NJ/Cherry Hill East).

The Crimson Hawks scored 10 of the game's first 12 points and also had a 16-7 later in the half to carry a 31-22 lead into the break. Gannon would tie the game on four separate occasions in the second half but IUP pulled away late en route to the upset win. Jr. F Sarah Pastorek (Johnstown/Bishop McCort) had 16 points while Tejada finished with a career-high 10 rebounds.

PSAC TOURNAMENT
Along with IUP traveling to Gannon, No. 1 seed Edinboro will host No. 4 Cal on Tuesday. In the East, No. 1 Bloomsburg will host No. 4 Shippensburg while No. 3 Millersville travels to No. 2 West Chester. The highest remaining West seed after Tuesday's games will host the PSAC final four this coming weekend.

REGIONAL RANKINGS
The Crimson Hawks bumped back one spot in the latest NCAA Atlantic Regional rankings, as they currently sit in 5th behind Edinboro (1st), Gannon (2nd), Johnson C. Smith (3rd) and Shaw (4th). The top eight teams in the region advance to the NCAA tournament with the PSAC, WVIAC and CIAA champs getting automatic berths. Brackets will be announced Sunday, March 4.

NATIONAL POLLS
As of Monday, Feb. 27, the Crimson Hawks sit at No. 24 in the USA Today/ESPN Division II Coaches Poll released by the WBCA. This was the eighth straight week IUP is in the top 25. IUP went 2-0 this past week.

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 14.0 ppg this season, she owns a 49.1 FG%, 5th in the PSAC. Also 1st on the team and t-8th in the PSAC with 7.5 rpg, Pastorek is 2nd on the team with 51 steals and has six double-doubles so far this year.

LOCAL FRESHMEN
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). All local talent, Mathe and Stapleton were teammates at Indiana HS while Fairman played at Marion Center HS.

ALL-AROUND THREAT
Getting work all over the court, Fairman averages 6.8 ppg and 3.9 rpg, and leads the team with 61 assists and 52 steals. She's knocked down 22 3's and has an 79.1 FT%. Fairman has reached double-figures in scoring seven times and is averaging 11.7 ppg with a 56.5 FG% and 8 steals over the past three games.

POINT-SCORER
Mathe has played in 21 games and is 2nd on the team in scoring with 8.6 ppg. She's 3rd in the PSAC with a 41.3 3FG% (33-80), making at least 1 in 14 games, and tied an IUP single-game record for 3's with 7 against Lock Haven on Jan. 25. She's started eight straight games and has scored in double-figures seven times.

DIFFERENCE MAKER
Stapleton has started eight of 21 games this season, averaging 8.2 ppg and is 2nd on the team with 28 made 3s. She's been efficient from the foul line, leading the team with an 86.1 FT% and has a 42.9 FG%. Earning her first start at Edinboro since Dec. 10, she scored 14 points in just 27 minutes.

SHOOTING THE “3”
IUP is one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the PSAC, making 33.3 percent of its 409 attempts, currently 5th in the league.

Five players have at least 16 3's, led by Mathe's 33. Sr. G Arika Ullman (Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) has knocked down 25 from beyond the arc and has a 35.7 3FG% while So. G Talen Watson (Odenton, MD/Arundel) has a 30.8 3FG%. 

PLAYING DEFENSE
IUP is playing some of the best defense in the PSAC, 2nd in the conference in points given up (54.3 ppg) and 1st FG% (35.4). The Crimson Hawks are 6th in the PSAC in forcing turnovers, making opponents give up possession 21.5 times per game, including a season-high 38 turnovers against Washington Adventist.

POST PLAY
Fr. F Ashley Stoner (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Thomas Jefferson) has provided additional production down low, scoring 8.2 ppg and grabbing 5.0 rpg. She's reached double-figures in scoring 10 times and had her first career double-double against Bowie State with 18 points and 10 rebounds. She's efficient when fouled with an 80.0 FT% and has connected on 64-133 of her shots from the field (48.1 percent).

BENCH PRODUCTION
Led by Mathe, Stapleton and Sr. F Vianca Tejada (Pennsauken, NJ/Cherry Hill East), the Crimson Hawks bench has been a huge part of the team's 20-5 record, outscoring opponents by an average of 24.8-12.9. Using anywhere from five-to-seven  players off the bench, IUP has owned a huge advantage in nearly every game, including a 25-17 point spread against Gannon on Saturday.

10 different players average 13.2 minutes per game while nine regular players average more than 3.8 points per game.

QUEEN OF THE BOARDS
So. F Melanie Todd (Springfield, VA/West Springfield) is 3rd on the team in rebounding, averaging 4.4 rpg. Her 56 offensive boards are 2nd and while she plays just 14.1 mpg, Todd is averaging 12.5 rpg and 6.4 off rpg per 40 minutes. She has grabbed 5 rebounds 12 times, including a season-high 11 against Seton Hill.

FAST START
The Crimson Hawks perfect 11-0 start to their season was one of program's best ever before the heartbreaking 58-55 loss to Millersville. IUP began 16-0 to start the 1999-2000 season, finishing 24-5, advancing to the NCAA East Region semifinals.

THE DOW FILE
Jeff Dow (Oregon '88) is in his fourth season as the head coach at IUP, compiling a record of 83-29 at the school, leading the Crimson Hawks to three consecutive PSAC tournament appearances during his tenure.