Box Score

ERIE, PA - The IUP women's basketball team saw its season come to an end Saturday with a 64-46 loss to Gannon in the semifinals of the NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament.

The loss marks the end of an outstanding season for the Crimson Hawks, who finished with a record of 23-9 and an appearance in the Atlantic Region Semifinals for the second consecutive season. The game was the last in the storied career of forward Sarah Pastorek (Johnstown/Bishop McCort), who finished with finished with 15 points and seven rebounds on the night.

Trailing by just seven at halftime, the Crimson Hawks found themselves staring at a 15 point deficit just seven minutes into the second half due to a 10-4 Lady Knights run. Layups from Doriyon Glass and Nettie Blake bookended the run.

The Crimson Hawks would mount a rally with under eight minutes to play in the game when Pastorek and Alexis Aiken (Pittsburgh, Pa. /North Allegheny) netted back-to-back baskets to trim the deficit to just 13, but an 8-2 Gannon run would give the Lady Knights an insurmountable 60-41 lead.

IUP struggled to shoot as a team, shooting just 31.7% from the field and 4-of-13 from behind the arc. The Crimson Hawks also committed 26 turnovers, including 12 in the second period alone.

Pastorek was the high-scorer for IUP on the evening, finishing with 15 points and seven boards in 33 minutes of action. The senior ends her career in the top ten on IUP's all-time scoring (1,311) and rebounding (641) lists, and led the Crimson Hawks to a pair of NCAA Tournaments during her career.

Lindsay Stamp (Erie, Pa. /Mercyhurst Prep) finished with 10 points, three rebounds and two assists, while Marita Mathe (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) tallied eight points in a game-high 36 minutes.

Jen Papich paced the Lady Knights with 12 points and eight boards, while Blake finished with 11 points, five rebounds and a trio of assists. Gannon owned the glass as a team, outrebounding IUP 35-26.

IUP built up a four-point lead early in the first half thanks to a pair of three's from Stamp and Marina Wareham (New Wilmington, Pa. /Kennedy Catholic), but the Lady Knights would rip off a 7-0 run to take a five-point lead that they would not surrender for the remainder of the contest.

The 23 wins matches the Crimson Hawks total from a season ago, when they were eliminated in the regional semifinals by top-seeded Edinboro.

UPDATE: On Monday night Stamp was one of five named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals in two games. She went 10-of-25 from the field and 5-of-11 from three-point range. Gannon's Nettie Blake was named the Most Outstanding Player while teammate Doriyon Glass, California's Stephanie Michael and Glenville State's Ginny Mills also made the team. Gannon defeated California 50-47 in the regional championship.