MURFREESBORO, N.C. – The Crimson Hawks shot over 63 percent in the first half, but gave up a 14-point halftime lead and the eventual game-winning layup with two seconds left in a 69-67 loss at Chowan on Tuesday afternoon.
 
The Crimson Hawks had a chance at the win with a three-pointer at the buzzer, but the shot rimmed out and Chowan came away with the comeback win.
 
The loss was the second straight for the Crimson Hawks, who fall to 3-2 overall on the year. Chowan improves to 3-1.
 
Senior guard Leslie Stapleton (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) and senior forward Zhané Brooks led the way with 16 points apiece. Stapleton shot 7-of-16 from the field, grabbed four rebounds and dished out four assists in 33 minutes. Brooks went 4-of-9 from the field and 8-of-9 from the foul line, getting six rebounds and two steals in 29 minutes.
 
IUP took a 56-44 lead into the fourth quarter, but Chowan converted four free throws sandwiched around a Crimson Hawks' turnover to cut its deficit to eight. CU pushed it to seven before a layup and free throw by Brooks got IUP's lead back up to 10 at 59-49 with 7:31 to play.
 
Chowan then capitalized on four straight missed field goals by the Crimson Hawks, to go along with three turnovers, going on a 10-2 run to make it a 61-59 game with 3:38 to play. CU tied the game at 63-63 less than a minute later and took its first lead at 67-65 on a layup with 52 seconds to play.
 
Stapleton tied the game at 67-67 on a jumper with 41 seconds to play and IUP forced Chowan into two missed shots on the other end, but a pair of offensive rebounds helped CU get a third look at the basket and the go-ahead layup with two seconds left.
 
After timeouts by each team, IUP had a good look at the basket but the shot did not fall.
 
The Crimson Hawks made just 9-of-27 shots in the second half after shooting nearly 64 percent in the first 20 minutes. IUP was also forced into 21 turnovers on the afternoon while Chowan collected 21 offensive rebounds.
 
Sophomore guard Megan Smith (Blain, Pa./West Perry) added 12 points for IUP, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out four assists. Freshman forward Brittany Robinson (Harrisburg, Pa. /Central Dauphin East) came off the bench to score six points and block three shots in 14 minutes.
 
The Crimson Hawks will host Saint Augustine's and Johnson C. Smith in the IUP-Lodestar Classic on Saturday and Sunday at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.