Box Score
CALIFORNIA, PA – A 17-4 second half run gave the Crimson Hawks their first lead of the game, but California (PA) would regain its lead and hold on to defeat IUP 62-56 in women's basketball action on Wednesday night.

Talen Watson (Odenton, MD/Arundel) scored a season-high 20 points for the Crimson Hawks, who fell to 15-7 overall and 6-6 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division. The Vulcans improved to 15-7 and now have a 9-4 mark in the division.

Cal holds on strong to the third spot in the West while the Crimson Hawks are a game ahead of Pitt-Johnstown for fourth in the division.

Leslie Stapleton (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) had 12 points and six rebounds while Ashley Stoner (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Thomas Jefferson) 10 points and five rebounds.

The Vulcans took a 12-4 lead less than four minutes into the game and went on top by 10 at 17-7 with 13:03 left. Helped by the long ball, Cal was 4-of-5 from three-point range in the early going.

The closest IUP would get before halftime was six points but the Vulcans got it back to 10 at 25-15 heading into the locker room. The Crimson Hawks shot just 5-of-26 from the floor in the first 20 minutes and turned the ball over nine times.

Cal still held onto a 10-point lead in the early going of the second half, but a seven-point run capped off with a jumper by Stapleton made it a 27-24 ballgame with 16:06 on the clock. The Vulcans extended their lead back to eight just a few minutes later, but IUP would respond with that 17-4 to take a 42-38 lead with just under nine minutes to play.

Zhane Brooks (Erie, Pa. /Villa Maria) hit a jumper in the paint at the 11:02 mark to tie the game at 36-36 and a layup less than a minute later by Stapleton gave the Crimson Hawks their first lead.

Cal tied the score a few minutes and the game would go back-and-forth until free throws by Emma Mahady gave the Vulcans the lead for good at 54-52 with 3:19 to play. The Crimson Hawks did make it a two-point game with a pair of free throws by Stapleton with 29 seconds to go, but Cal made all four of its attempts from the foul line and didn't let up another bucket as IUP fell by six.

Cal forced the Crimson Hawks into 21 turnovers on the night and limited the top three-point shooting team in the conference to go just 2-of-8 from beyond the arc.

IUP did outrebound the Vulcans 47-28, with Brooks grabbing 10 of those. IUP finished 22-of-55 from the floor, going 17-of-29 (58.6 percent) during their second half comeback attempt.

The Crimson Hawks have another tough matchup on Saturday as they host third-ranked Gannon at the KCAC. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.