SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Behind a career performance from sophomore guard Carolyn Appleby, IUP women's basketball won the 2017 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship with an 84-79 victory over California (Pa.) on Sunday afternoon at Shippensburg's Heiges Field House.
 
Appleby scored a career-high 30 points, adding six rebounds and five assists to help lead IUP to its fifth all-time conference title and first since 2009. She finished 7-of-15 from the field, including a career-best 6-of-8 performance from beyond the arc. Appleby also went a perfect 10-of-10 from the foul line, including 8-of-8 in the pivotal fourth quarter.
 
The point guard was also named the PSAC Tournament Most Valuable Player, averaging 22.3 points while dishing out 18 assists and going 22-of-23 from the foul line in the Crimson Hawks' three playoff victories.

The Crimson Hawks continue their season with a 23-6 overall record while Cal falls to 28-3 on the season. Both teams will move on to the NCAA tournament.
 
Smith's three breaks tie, free throws seal the win
With the game tied at 73-73 with less than a minute to play, IUP used its unselfish ball movement on offense to find junior forward Megan Smith in the corner, who drilled a three-pointer to give the Crimson Hawks the lead.
 
Two IUP possessions later, Appleby hit a pair of foul shots to extend the lead to five with 24 seconds to play.
 
The Vulcans fought back, bringing the deficit back to three on two occasions – 80-77 with 12 seconds left and 82-79 with five seconds to play – but IUP remained in control with its precision from the line. Smith hits a pair of free throws with 10 seconds to play, and Appleby put the cap on the victory with two more as the seconds ticked away.
 
IUP's hot shooting too much for the defending champs
Led by Appleby, the Crimson Hawks shot 56.6 percent (30-of-53) from the floor, including 9-of-14 from three-point range, and also went 15-of-17 from the foul line.
 
Smith went an efficient 6-of-7 from the field and made all three of her three-point attempts, finishing with 17 points. She also grabbed six rebounds in just 24 minutes, seeing less time due to foul trouble.
 
Sophomore forward Brittany Robinson also scored 17 points, going 8-of-12 from the field, before fouling out after 27 minutes of playing time.
 
Cal, last year's PSAC champions, did shoot 49 percent from the floor, but went just 2-of-10 from three-point range and turned the ball over 16 times.
 
On to the NCAAs
The championship win gives the Crimson Hawks the automatic qualifying Division II bid from the PSAC, as IUP will advance to its 10th all-time NCAA tournament. It'll be the program's third straight under head coach Tom McConnell, and fifth in the last six seasons.
 
The full 64-team bracket will be announced at 10 p.m. on NCAA.com. (Announcement story with links)
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.