MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – Five different players scored in double-figures for the third-ranked Crimson Hawks as they won their seventh straight to open the season with an 87-52 road victory over Millersville Sunday afternoon.
 
Senior guard Carolyn Appleby was the game's leading scorer with 18 points while senior forward Kendall Hunter came off the bench for 16 points and 12 rebounds to help IUP post its sixth 30-point win of the year.
 
It was Hunter's first career double-double as she went 7-of-8 from the field and hit a pair of foul shots to tie a career-high in points. Her 12 boards were also a career best as she did all of her damage in 28 minutes.
 
Hunter was needed as starting posts Brittany Robinson and Lexi Griggs found themselves in foul trouble early on. Robinson played in just 18 minutes and finished with four fouls while Griggs fouled out in 15 minutes.
 
Freshman forward Rajah Fink also played a big role in relief, as she scored 11 points with five rebounds in 22 important minutes.
 
The Crimson Hawks (7-0, 2-0 PSAC) used big 3-pointers by Natalie Myers and Ana Hollen early on to get out to a 12-2 lead less than five minutes into the contest. A dry spell allowed Millersville to close the gap but a 9-0 run followed to help give IUP a 25-13 after one.
 
The closest Millersville (2-5, 0-2 PSAC) would get was eight points midway through the second quarter. IUP responded with seven straight points and ended the half on a 15-5 run capped with back-to-back 3-pointers by Appleby and Fink to go to the locker room with a 45-27 lead.
 
Appleby, who suffered through a poor start to the game, took over in the second half scoring 13 of her game-high 18 points. Nine of those points came in the fourth quarter as she ended her day connecting on her final four shot attempts. She also dished out a season-high eight assists.  
 
Hunter also took control in the second half with eight points and eight rebounds in the game's final 20 minutes. She added a block in the fourth quarter for good measure.
 
Joining Appleby, Hunter and Fink in double-figures were Myers and Griggs with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
 
Notes
The Crimson Hawks are ranked No. 3 in the WBCA Top 25 and No. 13 in the D2SIDA Media Top 25 polls entering the weekend … IUP was playing its third straight game without senior guard Lauren Wolosik and second straight without junior forward Maura D'Anna, both are injured … Appleby moved into 14th place in IUP history with 1,227 career points, passing Theresa Kabala (1,223) … IUP made a season-high 12 3-pointers for the second time in the last three games … This was IUP's seventh blowout win of the year, including its fifth of more than 35 points … All 11 of IUP's available players got in the scoring column … The Crimson Hawks owned a 54-32 rebounding advantage, including 17 offensive boards.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks are off until Saturday when they host Shippensburg (4-3, 2-0 PSAC). Tipoff at the Memorial Field House is 5:30 p.m. The Lady Raiders swept their PSAC opening weekend with wins over Seton Hill and Pitt-Johnstown.
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.