INDIANA, Pa. — IUP women's basketball head coach,
Tom McConnell, reached a career milestone of 100-wins as the Crimson Hawks defeated Mercyhurst 89-38 Saturday afternoon at the Kovalchick Complex.
Taking over as head coach in 2013, McConnell has an overall record of 100-30 (.769 winning percentage) with three straight 20-win seasons, including a 25-4 overall record during the 2014-15 season.
During McConnell's five seasons, the Crimson Hawks have made four Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tournament appearances, three straight NCAA tournament berths, earned a PSAC West regular season title in 2015 and won the PSAC Championship in 2017. McConnell is the fourth coach in IUP history to achieve 100-wins (Jan Kiger, 144, 1986-96; Sandy Thomas, 122, 1996-2003; Jeff Dow, 108, 2008-13).
Five Crimson Hawks scored in double-figures in their defeat over the Lakers:
Megan Smith (Blain, Pa./West Perry), 17 points;
Carolyn Appleby (Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic), 16 points;
Audrey Stapleton (Indiana, Pa./Indiana), 16 points;
Lauren Wolosik (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Catholic), 11 points; and
Ana Hollen (Bellwood, Pa./Bellwood), 10 points. Sophomore forward
Maura D'Anna (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) added 10 rebounds and six points during her 24 minutes of play.
Senior forward
Megan Smith (Blain, Pa./West Perry) went 7-of-9 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range as junior guard
Carolyn Appleby (Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic) went 7-of-10 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line.
The Crimson Hawks outscored the Lakers in every area on the court, outshooting Mercyhurst 60 percent to 27 percent from the field, 57 percent to 40 percent from 3-point range and 85 percent to 53 percent from the foul line.
Mercyhurst turned the ball over 27 times, allowing IUP to score 33 points off turnovers alone. The Crimson Hawks scored another 44 points in the paint, holding the Lakers to scoring only six points in the paint.
With the win, the Crimson Hawks remain undefeated with the overall record of 12-0 and are currently ranked second behind California in the PSAC West standings.
Up next
The Crimson Hawks will host the next two games at 5:30 p.m., facing off against Slippery Rock, Monday, Jan. 8, and East Stroudsburg Wednesday, Jan. 10.
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.
