INDIANA, Pa. – Sophomore guard Carolyn Appleby (Greensburg, Pa. /Greensburg Central Catholic) recorded her second-career double-double as she tallied 13 points and 10 assists in leading the IUP women's basketball team to a 78-61 victory over Mercyhurst in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament quarterfinals on Wednesday evening at the Kovalchick Complex.

With the win the Crimson Hawks improve to 21-6 overall and will travel to face the East's top seed and host Shippensburg in the semifinals. It marks the program's 12th all-time appearance in the PSAC semifinals. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst falls to 23-7 and will await word on a potential at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Appleby added four rebounds and four steals. Sophomore Brittany Robinson (Harrisburg, Pa. /Central Dauphin East) totaled 14 points and seven rebounds on 7-of-7 shooting while adding three blocks and two steals. Junior Megan Smith (Blain, Pa./West Perry) and redshirt sophomore Lauren Wolosik (Pittsburgh, Pa. /North Catholic) each added 11 points.

Both teams started slowly as the game's first points were scored more than two minutes into the game. After Angela Heintz connected on a three-pointer to tie the game at 3-3, IUP answered with a 9-2 run to push the lead to 12-5 at the 3:52-mark of the first quarter. Mercyhurst cut the lead to 14-9 on a layup from Natalie Piaggesi before the Crimson Hawks quickly upped the lead to 22-9 on a layup from Robinson at the 1:01-mark.

IUP opened the second quarter on a 10-3 run to push the lead to 36-15 at the 6:27-mark on a layup from Ana Hollen (Bellwood, Pa./Bellwood). The Lakers cut the lead to 19 (38-19) after an Emilee Norris jumper midway through the second quarter. From there, IUP limited Mercyhurst to just 1-of-6 shooting to take a commanding 44-22 halftime lead.

The Crimson Hawks pushed the lead to 51-24 after starting the third quarter on a 7-2 run. The Lakers countered with a 10-6 run over a nearly five-minute stretch that cut the IUP lead to 57-34 at the 2:57-mark after a three-pointer from Jalin Steel. IUP then closed the quarter on a 9-3 run to extend the lead to 66-37.

IUP kept the lead at nearly 30 points for nearly half the fourth-quarter before a Halle Denman (Beaver Falls, Pa. /Blackhawk) layup midway through the fourth gave the Crimson Hawks a 31-point (74-43) lead. The Lakers used a 15-2 run over a nearly four-minute stretch to cut the Crimson Hawk lead to 76-58 at the 1:55-mark. A minute later a Heintz three-pointer pulled Mercyhurst to within 76-61 before the Crimson Hawks finished out the win.

IUP shot at a 50.9 percent (28-of-55) clip, including 15-of-18 from the charity stripe. In comparison, Mercyhurst shot just 36.4 percent (20-of-55) from the floor. The Crimson Hawks held a 36-28 rebounding edge while holding commanding edges in bench points (21-9) and points in the paint (38-12).

The Lakers were led by a game-high 21 points from Heintz as well as 18 points from Steel.

Up Next
The Crimson Hawks advance to the PSAC Semifinals and will travel to Shippensburg to square off against the Raiders on Saturday, March 4. Shippensburg advanced to the semifinals with a 60-44 win over Bloomsburg. Tipoff is schedule for 3:30 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.