CALIFORNIA, Pa. – The second-ranked IUP women's basketball team suffered its first defeat of the season, a 62-53 loss to rival and 14th-ranked California (Pa.) Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.
 
The matchup was a midseason battle for the top spot in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division, as the Vulcans grabbed the lead with an 11-1 league record ahead of IUP's 10-1 conference mark.
 
The loss also ended the Crimson Hawks' hot start as they fell to 15-1 on the season. The 15 straight victories is the second longest win streak in program history behind the 16 consecutive during the 1999-00 season.
 
Junior forward Brittany Robinson led the IUP offensive effort with 16 points, going 8-of-12 from the field in 24 minutes. Junior point guard Carolyn Appleby added 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
 
The major discrepancy came at the foul line, with Cal converting 10-of-19 attempts while IUP made 5-of-7. The Crimson Hawks were whistled for 21 fouls, with Appleby fouling out and four other players battling foul trouble. The Vulcans were called for just 10 fouls on the night.
 
The game was tight throughout, with the Crimson Hawks taking a 28-26 lead into halftime and a 44-43 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
Despite forcing Cal into six turnovers in the game's final 10 minutes, the Crimson Hawks were cold from the floor, shooting just 4-of-17. The Vulcans also dominated the boards in the final quarter, owning a 13-3 rebounding edge.
 
IUP did shoot 42 percent on the night, but made 4-of-14 from 3-point range and turned the ball over 20 times.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks return home this weekend in hopes of starting a new win streak, hosting Clarion (7-11, 2-10) Saturday 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.