INDIANA, Pa. – Sophomore guard Megan Smith (Blain, Pa./West Perry) scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to help lead IUP to a 78-72 upset win over 13th-ranked California (Pa.) in conference women's basketball action on Wednesday night at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
It was Smith's first career double-double as the Crimson Hawks improved to 8-3 overall and moved into third place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division with a 5-2 league record. They are one game back of California (Pa.) and Gannon, which have identical 6-1 conference records.
 
The 18 points and 10 boards for Smith were both career-highs. She finished 6-of-16 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the foul line, adding two assists and two blocks in 30 minutes of action.
 
It was IUP's first win over the Vulcans since Feb. 13, 2013 when the Crimson Hawks won 59-51 in overtime at home. Cal had swept the season series in each of the last two seasons.
 
It was tight first half that included five ties and nine lead changes, as neither team was able to separate. The Vulcans grabbed their largest least at 30-25 in a three-pointer with 3:49 to play in the second quarter, but IUP responded with a 10-4 run to take a 35-34 lead into halftime.
 
The Crimson Hawks continued that hot streak into the second half, opening the third quarter on a 10-2 run to take a 45-36 lead after just 3:28. Smith later led IUP on a 10-0 run, as the guard scored eight consecutive points to give the Crimson Hawks a 17 point lead at 57-40 with 2:55 to play in the quarter.
 
With IUP still out in front by 17 with 6:52 to play in the game, Cal began to chip away, using a 14-3 run to cut its deficit to six at 68-62 with 2:05 to play. IUP held off any further advances by the Vulcans and made 8-of-10 free throws in the final 35 seconds to seal the upset victory.
 
The Crimson Hawks shot 47.5 percent (28-of-59) from the field and made 20-of-26 free throws. They limited Cal to a 34.3 field goal percentage (24-of-70) and also outrebounded the Vulcans 39-to-38.

 
Senior guards Marina Wareham (New Wilmington, Pa. /Kennedy Catholic) and Leslie Stapleton (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) had 17 and 15 points, respectively, going a combined 12-of-20 from the field and 7-of-8 from the foul line. Wareham added five assists, four rebounds and two steals while Stapleton had four assists and three rebounds.
 
Prior to the game, Stapleton was honored in a special presentation after becoming the 21st player in program history to score 1,000 career points. She reached the milestone in IUP's last game, an 80-74 win at Kutztown on Dec. 5.
 
Also of note, Stapleton's season-opening streak of 27 straight free throws ended tonight with a miss on her first attempt. She was the only qualifying player in Division II to have not missed from the free throw line this year. 
 
The Crimson Hawks will head to Edinboro on Saturday for another big game this week. Tipoff at the McComb Fieldhouse is set for 1 p.m.
 
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.