Box Score

EDINBORO, PA – Sarah Pastorek (Johnstown/Bishop McCort) led the Crimson Hawks with 19 points, going 11-of-14 at the foul line, but Bloomsburg converted 34 of their 39 attempts at the charity stripe as IUP lost to the Huskies 75-67 in the semifinals of the 2012 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Women's Basketball Tournament on Friday night at McComb Fieldhouse on the campus of Edinboro University.

The loss eliminates the Crimson Hawks (22-6) from PSAC title contention as they'll await word from the NCAA on where and who they could play next weekend as Atlantic Regional play starts on Friday, March 9.

In a game that featured 45 fouls and 15 lead changes, Bloomsburg (26-4) took the lead with 3:24 left and converted all 12 of its free throws over the final few minutes of play to secure the eight-point victory.

Neither team shot well from the floor, as IUP made 35.7 percent (20-of-56) of their field goal attempts while the Huskies shot 32.1 percent (17-of-53). The Crimson Hawks also had a successful day from the line as they were sent there often, going 21-of-27 (77.8 percent).

After rallying from a six-point deficit in the second half, Pastorek tied the game at 59-59 on a layup off the left side before IUP took a one-point lead on a foul shot from Amy Fairman (Creekside, Pa. /Marion Center) with 5:42 remaining.

The Huskies then came back with a jumper by Kayla Oxenrider to get back on top before Marita Mathe (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) drained her fourth three-pointer of the game to put IUP on top 63-61 with 4:37 remaining.

Bloomsburg would tie the game on its next trip down the floor as Kelsey Gallagher knocked down both of her foul shots, and then took the lead after a quick IUP turnover, sending Dana Wieller to the line where she would convert both of hers to put the Huskies on top 65-63 with 3:24 left.

That started the string of made free throws for the Huskies as they didn't attempt a field goal the rest of the game, forcing IUP to convert just 1-of-6 from the field in the final minutes.

The Crimson Hawks started the game hot as they reeled off the first 11 points, knocking down three treys, with two coming from Mathe.

Bloomsburg rallied, getting a pair of threes from Oxenrider and Wieller to cut its deficit to 11-6 with 16:14 left. IUP would hold a 20-11 lead at the 10:56 mark before the Huskies went on a 9-0 run, tying the game at 20-20 less than two minutes later.

The Huskies tied the game again before taking a 25-24 lead with 6:31 left, but IUP continued its strong offensive play with another three by Mathe and a jumper by Talen Watson (Odenton, MD/Arundel) to take a 31-26 lead. The Huskies chipped away, with a three-pointer by Catherine Noack with 1:20 left giving them a 32-31 lead. Ashley Stoner (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Thomas Jefferson) twice converted tough layups in the final 80 seconds but the Huskies took a 36-35 lead into the break.

Noack came off the bench to score a game-high 22 points in 27 minutes, going 5-of-5 from three-point range and 5-of-6 from the foul line.

IUP did play strong defense against Bloomsburg's top players, as Gallagher, Wieller and Oxenrider combined to go just 5-of-28 from the field and scored 31 points.

Pastorek posted her second straight 19-point night, grabbing seven boards with two steals and two blocks in 36 minutes. Mathe scored 13 points, going 4-of-8 from three-point range, adding five rebounds and two assists. In her two games against the Huskies this year, Mathe scored 32 points and went 9-of-18 from three-point range.

Stoner came off the bench to score 10 points, all in the first half, finishing 4-of-7 from the field.

Fairman again did a lot for IUP, scoring nine eight points and grabbing nine rebounds, including four on the offensive end. She added three assists and a steal in 34 minutes. Getting her third straight start, Vianca Tejada (Pennsauken, NJ/Cherry Hill East) scored eight points in 22 minutes while Watson added seven.

The NCAA tournament brackets will be announced on Sunday night, March 4. The Crimson Hawks entered this week in fifth place in the Atlantic Region, beating third place Gannon on Tuesday in the quarterfinals before tonight's loss. The top eight teams in each region make the NCAA tournament, with conference championship receiving automatic bids.