Box Score

EDINBORO, PA – In a game that was tight to the very end, the IUP women's basketball team dropped a 75-71 decision to Edinboro in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship on Tuesday night.

The loss eliminates the third-seeded Crimson Hawks from the conference tournament as Edinboro, the second seed from the West, advances to the semifinals at Bloomsburg on Friday.

Lindsay Stamp (Erie, Pa. /Mercyhurst Prep) tied her season-high with 24 points, going 9-of-20 from the field and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.

The game was tied 13 times, Marita Mathe (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) knotted the score at 65-65 with her first of two foul shots with 2:23 remaining. The second would miss as Edinboro's Darché Jackson would convert with a layup on the other end to put the Fighting Scots in front 67-65 with less than two minutes to play.

A three by Stamp on the ensuing possession would miss and Jackson again capitalized with a jumper to put Edinboro in front by four. Mathe came right back with a jumper of her own, making it a 69-67 game with 1:01 to go.

Both teams would exchange free throws, with Kiara Brown and IUP's Sarah Pastorek (Johnstown/Bishop McCort) each converting a pair before a layup by Aignee Freeland gave Edinboro a 73-69 lead with 32 seconds remaining. The Crimson Hawks would get two looks from beyond the three-point line on the next possession but each one bounced off until a foul by Edinboro sent Stamp to the line with 15 seconds on the clock.

Stamp would go on to make both after an IUP timeout, narrowing the gap to 73-71. An immediate foul sent Jackson to the line with 13 seconds left where she would sink both, giving the Fighting Scots a four-point lead. Amy Fairman (Creekside, Pa. /Marion Center) had the final three-point attempt with under six seconds that missed as possession transferred to the Fighting Scots as they clinched the win.

The Crimson Hawks outshot Edinboro 46 percent (26-of-56) to 38 percent (24-of-63) while also gaining the edge in rebounding 43 to 38. However, the Fighting Scots forced IUP into 23 turnovers and went 25-of-33 from the foul line while the Crimson Hawks finished 16-of-28.

Edinboro got off to an early 12-6 lead in the first half before the Crimson Hawks tied the game at 14-14 on a layup by Alexis Aiken (Pittsburgh, Pa. /North Allegheny) at the 10:13 mark. A three-pointer by Stamp four minutes later gave IUP a 25-20 lead before heading into the locker room with a 38-35 advantage.

The Crimson Hawks took a 44-37 second half lead after a layup by Mathe at the 17:21 mark. They'd hold the lead for another five minutes until the Fighting Scots tied it at 46-46 with 12:49 to go. From there on out neither team would lead by more than four points the rest of the way.

Brown led the Fighting Scots with 25 points while Jackson added 22.

Sarah Pastorek (Johnstown/Bishop McCort) scored 16 points for the Crimson Hawks and Mathe finished with nine points, six assists and four rebounds.

The Crimson Hawks, now 22-8 on the year, will now wait for the NCAA tournament selection on Sunday, March 10 to see where they are placed for the Atlantic Regional tournament. The newest weekly rankings will be released on Wednesday as IUP was fourth a week ago.