GAMEDAY CENTRAL
No. 12/RV IUP Crimson Hawks (20-2, 15-2 PSAC)
at Gannon Golden Knights (13-11, 10-8 PSAC)
Monday, February 12, 2018 | 5:30 p.m.
Erie, Pa. | Hammermill Center

Full Game Notes (PDF)
Stats: GannonSports.com | Sidearm Stats
Radio: WQMU 92.5 FM | u92radio.com | U92.5 Sports App (Android & iPhone)
Video: GannonSports.com | Stretch Internet
Social Media: Twitter | @IUP_WBB

COMING UP
Wednesday, Feb. 14 at Clarion (5:30 p.m.)
Saturday, Feb. 17 vs. No. 20 California (5:30 p.m.)

THE GAME AT A GLANCE
12th-ranked IUP women's basketball (20-2, 15-2 PSAC) opens a three-game week with a trip to Erie to square off against Gannon (13-11, 10-8 PSAC) Monday night. Tipoff at the Hammermill Center is 5:30 p.m. It's the first of two road games in three nights for the Crimson Hawks, who have won three in a row including a 57-47 win over Pitt-Johnstown Wednesday. Gannon's loss to IUP on Feb. 3 started a three-game losing streak for the Lady Knights.

TIPOFF NOTES
>> The Crimson Hawks were the first 20-win team in the PSAC, hitting the milestone win last Wednesday; It's the fourth straight 20-win season for IUP and the 11th since the 1998-99 season
>> A win Monday would help IUP keep pace with streaking Edinboro, which currently leads the division with a 16-2 league record; The Crimson Hawks and Fighting Scots face each other on Wednesday, Feb. 21 in Indiana
>> IUP defeated Gannon 60-45 in the season's first meeting between the teams on Feb. 3; Sr. F Megan Smith (Blain, Pa./West Perry) scored 17 points and IUP limited Gannon to 15-42 shooting
>> The 20-2 record for the Crimson Hawks is tied for the best 22-game stretch in program history; The 2007-08 and 2014-15 teams each started 20-2
>> IUP is 7-2 on the road this year; Gannon is 5-4 at home, including three wins in its last four at "The Mill"

SERIES WITH GANNON
>> IUP leads the all-time series with Gannon 21-16, including five straight dating back to the 2015-16 season
>> The Crimson Hawks are 2-2 against Gannon in Erie under HC Tom McConnell; The two teams have scored nearly the same amount of points in those contests, with IUP outscoring Gannon 271-269 
>> McConnell is 7-3 overall against Gannon, with those seven wins coming in the last eight meetings

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE LADY KNIGHTS
>> Gannon is 13-11 overall and currently fifth in the PSAC West with a 10-8 league record
>> The Golden Knights were on a six-game win streak before IUP ended that with a 60-45 win at the KCAC on Feb. 3; That loss was the first of three straight for GU, which has been outscored by 16 points per game in that span
>> The Lady Knights lead the PSAC and rank 12th in Division II with a 79.7 FT%; Maggie Mitchell is the top free throw shooter in the conference at 90.5 percent (10th in the country)
>> Mitchell is Gannon's top scorer at 16.0 PPG; IUP held her to four points on 2-10 shooting on Feb. 3
 
CRIMSON HAWKS AMONG TOP 25 TEAMS IN THE COUNTRY
>> IUP has been ranked in the top 25 of the WBCA coaches poll in all 10 releases this season, reaching as high as No. 2 on  Jan. 17
>> That No. 2 ranking is the highest achieved in program history
>> The Crimson Hawks were also ranked No. 2 in the D2SIDA media poll for three straight weeks

TOM MCCONNELL HAS WON 100 GAMES AT IUP IN LESS THAN FIVE SEASONS
>> HC Tom McConnell won his 100th game on the IUP bench with the 89-38 win over Mercyhurst (Jan. 6)
>> McConnell's .771 win percentage is first all-time among IUP coaches, and his 108 victories are tied with Jeff Dow (2008-13) for third - 1. Jan Kiger (141), 2. Sandy Thomas (122)
>> McConnell is averaging 22 wins per season, including a career-best 25 during the 2014-15 season
>> IUP's 15-game win streak this year is the longest of his career
>> He's also nearing the career 200-win milestone with a 193-137 (.585) record in 12 coaching seasons; McConnell went 85-105 in seven seasons (1992-99) as the St. Francis head men's basketball coach

IUP IS ONE OF THE TOP SCORING AND SHOOTING TEAMS IN THE PSAC
>> The Crimson Hawks lead the PSAC with a 47.2 FG% (626-1,326) and a 37.1 3FG% (150-404); They rank fifth and 18th, respectively, in those categories nationally
>> They ended a recent cold streak from behind the arc by shooting 7-17 (41.2 pct) against UPJ Wednesday
>> IUP has made 10 3-pointers six times, including a season-high 11 against Lock Haven and Mercyhurst
>> The Crimson Hawks' 75.3 PPG is third in the PSAC and among the best marks in program history; The school record is 79.4 PPG set during the 1995-96 season
>> IUP has scored 80-plus points seven times and has defeated teams by at least 20 points on 11 occasions
>> The Crimson Hawks set a school record with 125 points in its Education Day victory over Geneva (Dec. 18)

SMITH PUTTING TOGETHER A CAREER SCORING YEAR
>> Sr. F Megan Smith (Blain, Pa./West Perry) leads IUP and ranks 9th in the PSAC with 16.5 PPG
>> She has six 20-point performances and has reached double-figures 17 times in 22 games
>> Smith scored a career-high 34 points in a 72-53 win at Pitt-Johnstown (Jan. 3); She went 12-18 from the field, 6-9 from 3-point range, and 4-6 from the foul line
>> Smith hit the 1,000-point milestone at Mansfield; Her 1,221 career points is 14th in program history - 13. Theresa Kabala (1223), 12. Julie Kibler (1265), 11. Sherri Leysock (1277), 10. Sue Brecko (1299)
>> Her career 3-point percentage of 41.6 is currently the best in program history, and her 134 career treys are 7th - 6. Eryn Withers (Burtonsville, Md./Springbrook) (141), 5. Lindsay Stamp (169), 4. Katie Glaws (170)

WOLOSIK ONE OF TOP DISHERS IN THE PSAC
>> R-Jr. G Lauren Wolosik (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Catholic) leads the PSAC and ranks 36th in Division II with 4.9 assists per game
>> She set a career-high with 10 assists in a 79-61 win over East Stroudsburg (Jan. 10)
>> Wolosik leads the PSAC and ranks 23rd in Division II with a 2.2 assist-turnover ratio

APPLEBY TURNING UP THE OFFENSE
>> Jr. G Carolyn Appleby (Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic) leads the team in scoring over the last nine games with 15.6 PPG
>> She's scored in double-figures in each of the last nine games, going for 21 points at Mercyhurst and 20 points against Clarion
>> Appleby ranks 10th in the PSAC with a 43.3 FG% (116-268)