INDIANA, Pa. – A jumper from sophomore forward
Brittany Robinson (Harrisburg, Pa. /Central Dauphin East) with 1.2 seconds was the difference as the IUP women's basketball team defeated Mercyhurst, 73-71 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play at the Kovalchick Complex Wednesday evening.
With the win, the Crimson Hawks improve to 15-5 overall and 13-3 in league play. Meanwhile, the Lakers fall to 16-5 and 11-4 in conference play.
Robinson finished with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting (4-of-5 free-throws) while adding four rebounds, one block and one steal. Sophomore
Carolyn Appleby (Greensburg, Pa. /Greensburg Central Catholic) led IUP with a team-high 17 points on 4-of-8 shooting (8-of-9 free-throws) to go along with six assists and three steals. Freshman forward
Maura D'Anna (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) tied her career-high with 14 points off the bench on 6-of-8 shooting while adding eight rebounds.
Mercyhurst opened the game on a 10-4 run after a layup from Natalie Piaggesi at the 5:46-mark of the first quarter. IUP answered by ending the first on an 8-4 run to cut the Laker lead to 14-12. The Crimson Hawks then retook the lead (18-16) on a three-pointer from
Halle Denman (Beaver Falls, Pa. /Blackhawk) at the 7:43-mark of the second quarter. IUP pushed the lead to as much as four multiple times before Mercyhurst cut the Crimson Hawks lead to 22-21 with 6:12 to play before halftime. IUP took a 30-27 lead with under a minute to play in the half on a free-throw from Appleby before Mercyhurst took a 31-30 halftime lead.
The Lakers pushed the lead to 38-33 after a three-pointer from Angela Heintz at the 7:41-mark of the third quarter. IUP did not regain the lead until a three-pointer from
Lauren Wolosik (Pittsburgh, Pa. /North Catholic) gave the Crimson Hawks a 55-52 lead with 34 seconds left in the third quarter. Mercyhurst pushed the lead to 61-57 at the 7:13-mark of the fourth quarter after a layup from Jalin Steel. IUP answered with a 7-2 run to take a 64-63 lead after a layup from Robinson. Appleby then converted a three-point play to take a 71-68 lead with 20 seconds left before Heintz tied the game with a three-pointer with eight seconds remaining. That set up the game-winning shot for Robinson.
IUP shot 52.2 percent (24-of-46) from the field including 80.8 percent (21-of-26 from the free-throw line). Mercyhurst shot 41.4 percent (24-of-58) for the game. The Lakers held a 32-25 rebounding margin.
Piaggesi and Steel each scored a game-high 19 points to lead the Lakers.
Up Next
The Crimson Hawks continue PSAC West play on Saturday, February 4 when they host Slippery Rock at 5:30 p.m.
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.
