CHEYNEY, Pa. – Senior forward Zhané Brooks scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to help the IUP women's basketball team to a 56-34 road win over Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division foe Cheyney on Sunday afternoon.
 
It was Brooks' third double-double in the last four games as she led the Crimson Hawks to their fifth consecutive victory. IUP improved to 10-3 overall on the season and has moved into second place in the PSAC West with a 7-2 conference record.
 
Brooks is averaging 18.5 points and 11.3 rebounds over the last four contests, with three 20-point games, including a career-high of 24 at Kutztown.
 
Brooks went 9-of-14 from the field against Cheyney and helped IUP outrebound the Wolves 62-to-39, its largest margin on the boards all season. The Crimson Hawks had 22 offensive rebounds on the day, including four each by Brooks and freshman forward Kendall Hunter (Burke, Va. /Paul VI Catholic). Sophomore guard Megan Smith (Blain, Pa./West Perry) finished with seven total rebounds while freshman forward Brittany Robinsin had six.
 
The Crimson Hawks got out to a hot start, jumping out 15-2 with the help of Brooks en route to a 19-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. Brooks did most of her offensive damage during the opening stanza, with 10 points in the game's first 6:08.
 
After struggling through a second quarter in which they were outscored by Cheyney 10-7, the Crimson Hawks responded with an 18-point third quarter and gave up just four points in the fourth for a convincing 22-point victory.
 
IUP limited to the Wolves to just 20.7 percent shooting in the game, including 6-of-30 in the second half. TaKayla Ellis was the only Cheyney player to score in double-figures, finishing with 13 points.
 
Smith also reached double-figures in scoring for IUP, finishing with 12 points. She also had three of the Crimson Hawks' six shots on the day, bringing her total to 23 in 13 games. IUP shot 33.8 percent from the field (22-of-65) and made just 7-of-21 from the free throw line.
 
Two straight home games are on the schedule for the Crimson Hawks this week, starting with PSAC East opponent Millersville on Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.
 
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.