INDIANA, Pa. – Senior forward Megan Smith (Blain, Pa./West Perry) scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds as 20th-ranked IUP women's basketball defeated Lock Haven 78-53 at the Memorial Field House Saturday afternoon.
 
Smith shot 6-of-13 from the field and made all six free throw attempts in 30 minutes of play as the Crimson Hawks improved to 3-0 overall with a win in their conference opener.
 
Redshirt junior guard Lauren Wolosik (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Catholic) also nearly picked up a double-double with 12 points and nine assists, with just one turnover and five steals in 37 minutes.
 
Lock Haven (1-3, 0-1 PSAC) tried for the upset special, shooting nearly 62 percent in the opening half as the Crimson Hawks led by only three at 37-34 at the break.
 
An 8-0 run in the third quarter helped IUP open up a 47-38 lead but Lock Haven battled back and cut its deficit to five heading into the fourth.
 
The Crimson Hawks completely dominated the final quarter, scoring 14 straight points over a 5:04 span to take a 68-51 lead with minutes left. They followed that up with a 10-0 run to end the game, outscoring Lock Haven 24-4 in the fourth.
 
IUP forced Lock Haven into 24 turnovers with the help of 15 team steals. The Crimson Hawks also owned the rebounding edge 36-to-30, led by Smith's nine. Sophomore forward Maura D'Anna came off the bench to grab seven in 15 minutes.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks look for the perfect weekend when they host Bloomsburg (1-3, 0-1) Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.