GAMEDAY CENTRAL
IUP Crimson Hawks (20-5, 18-3 PSAC)
at No. 3/3 California Vulcans (25-2, 19-2 PSAC)
Saturday, February 25, 2017 | 3:00 p.m.
California, Pa. | Convocation Center

Full Game Notes (PDF)
Live Stats: SidearmStats.com | Fan Stats | Media Stats
Listen: WQMU 92.5 FM | u92radio.com
Listen: Smartphone | U92 Sports App
Live Updates: Twitter | @IUP_WBB

THE GAME AT A GLANCE
It's a battle for the PSAC West regular season title on Saturday, as the Crimson Hawks head to California to take on the third-ranked Vulcans. The afternoon tipoff at the Convocation Center is set for 3 p.m. Arguably the top two teams in the entire conference face off for the division crown and No. 1 seed in the West. IUP enters the matchup riding an eight-game win streak, while the Vulcans are coming off of a 78-72 loss to Mercyhurst in Erie. They own a 19-2 PSAC record while IUP is 18-3 in the conference. 

The game will be broadcast on WQMU 92.5 FM with the voice of IUP Athletics, Jack Benedict, calling the action. You can also listen on u92radio.com and on the u92radio app on your smartphone.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR
• The Crimson Hawks are looking for their second PSAC West crown in the last three years under HC Tom McConnell; IUP has five division titles since 1984, and had a 20-2 record in 2015, McConnell's second year
• McConnell has a winning record against all regular opponents on this year's schedule, except California; The Vulcans have won seven of their eight matchups against McConnell and the Crimson Hawks since 2013
• IUP's lone win during that time was a 78-72 win over then 13th-ranked Cal at home on Dec. 16, 2015
• California took this season's first meeting, a 79-52 victory at the KCAC on Jan. 18; Soph. F Brittany Robinson (Harrisburg, Pa. /Central Dauphin East) posted her first career double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds
• The Crimson Hawks are 9-1 on the road this season, outscoring opponents by 14.0 points; Cal is 11-0 at home this year, including close wins over Edinboro (68-66) and Edinboro (75-71)
• During IUP's eight-game win streak, the Crimson Hawks are averaging 76.9 points with 13.0 turnovers per game; Cal gives up 59.5 points a game and leads Division II by forcing opponents into nearly 28 turnovers a game

CRIMSON HAWKS NOW WINNING WITH OFFENSE
IUP has turned up its offensive production during its eight-game win streak, averaging 76.9 points during that span. That's compared to 68.1 in IUP's first 17 games of the season. The Crimson Hawks are outscoring opponents by 14.0 points during their win streak, going for at least 72 points six times, including a season-high 105 against Slippery Rock. Soph. G Carolyn Appleby (Greensburg, Pa. /Greensburg Central Catholic) is one of four players scoring in double-figures, averaging a team-best 16.0 points over the last eight. 

CRIMSON HAWKS ONE OF TOP THREE-POINT SHOOTING TEAMS IN PSAC, DIVISION II
IUP leads the PSAC and ranks 14th in Division II with a 37.0 three-point field goal percentage. The Crimson Hawks have drained 56 treys with a 41.5 percentage during their eight-game win streak, including a 14-21 performance against Slippery Rock. R-Soph. G Lauren Wolosik (Pittsburgh, Pa. /North Catholic) is the team-leader with 51 threes made and a 43.6 three-point percentage.

LAUREN WOLOSIK PUTTING TOGETHER ONE OF THE TOP 3-POINT SHOOTING SEASONS IN IUP HISTORY
Wolosik's three-point numbers are nearing the top of the IUP single season charts. Her 51 threes are currently 10th all-time, while her 43.6 percentage ranks second. 

MEGAN SMITH LEADS THE WAY WITH CONSISTENCY
Jr. F Megan Smith (Blain, Pa./West Perry) has been the Crimson Hawks most consistent player all season, leading the team in scoring (14.6 ppg) and rebounding (5.6 rpg), and is also second in blocks (28) and minutes (757). She's led the team in scoring nine times this season with a team-best 19 double-figure scoring games, and also has a pair of double-doubles. 

IUP RANKS SECOND IN DIVISION II WITH 5.84 BLOCKS PER GAME
Led by So. F Brittany Robinson (Harrisburg, Pa. /Central Dauphin East), the Crimson Hawks lead the PSAC and rank second in the country with 5.84 blocked shots per game. IUP's 146 total blocks this year is a program record. Robinson is putting together one of the best blocking seasons in program history with 52 through 25 games, while Smith has added 29. Four more players have at least 12 this year for a team that has performances of 14 blocks vs. Shippensburg (Dec. 3) and 10 blocks vs. UPJ (Jan. 3). 

BRITTANY ROBINSON IS ONE OF THE TOP SHOT BLOCKERS IN ATLANTIC REGION
Robinson leads the the PSAC, ranks second in the Atlantic Region, and 28th in Division II averaging 2.08 blocked shots per game. She's posted at least one block in 21 of 25 games, and is currently on a streak of 12 straight games with a swat. Robinson has performances of seven blocks (vs. Shippensburg) and six blocks (at Millersville), and is on pace to have one of the top individual seasons in IUP history.

NCAA ATLANTIC REGION RANKINGS
IUP moved up one spot to No. 3 in this week's NCAA Division II Regional Rankings, which were released on Wednesday afternoon. These rankings determine the 64 teams selected to the NCAA tournament, with the top eight in each region earning berths. The next regional rankings will be released in the afternoon of Wednesday, March 1.