GAMEDAY CENTRAL
No. 11/25 IUP Crimson Hawks (22-2, 17-2 PSAC)
vs. No. 21/RV California Vulcans  (21-4, 16-3 PSAC)
Saturday, February 17, 2018 | 5:30 p.m.
Indiana, Pa. | Kovalchick Complex

Full Game Notes (PDF)
Stats: IUPAthletics.com | Statbroadcast
Radio: WQMU 92.5 FM | u92radio.com | U92.5 Sports App (Android & iPhone)
Video: IUPAthletics.com | IUPAthletics.com/watch
Social Media: Twitter | @IUP_WBB

COMING UP
Wednesday, Feb. 21 vs. #13 Edinboro (5:30 p.m.)
Saturday, Feb. 24 at Seton Hill (1 p.m.)

THE GAME AT A GLANCE
11th-ranked IUP women's basketball (22-2, 17-2 PSAC) returns home to host a battle of top 25 teams as rival California (21-4, 16-3 PSAC) comes to the Kovalchick Complex Saturday night. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. Both teams are battling for the division title as the Crimson Hawks are looking to avenge a loss at Cal back in January. They've won five straight, including a 69-45 win at Clarion Wednesday. The Vulcans are winners of three straight and are coming off of a 60-50 win over Mercyhurst.  

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
>> Just one game separates IUP, Edinboro and Cal in the PSAC West standings (page 3); The Crimson Hawks will host Edinboro Wednesday, Feb. 21
>> The Vulcans snapped IUP's 15-game win streak on Jan. 17 with a 62-53 win at the Convocation Center; The Crimson Hawks led 28-26 at halftime, but were outscored by Cal 19-9 in the fourth quarter
>> The 22-2 record for the Crimson Hawks is tied for the best 24-game stretch in program history; The 2007-08 and 2014-15 teams each started 22-2
>> IUP is 13-0 at home this year, outscoring opponents by nearly 29 points; All of Cal's losses have come on the road as the Vulans are 8-4

SERIES WITH CALIFORNIA
>> Cal leads the all-time series with IUP 46-36; The Vulcans are the only team on this year's schedule IUP HC Tom McConnell has a losing record against, going 2-9 since 2013-14

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE VULCANS
>> California is 21-4 overall and currently in third place in the PSAC West with a 16-3 league record; The Vulcans sit just one game back of IUP and Edinboro for first in the division
>> The Vulcans are 2-2 against the top three teams in the division - splitting with Edinboro, defeating IUP, and falling to Seton Hill; Cal will host Seton Hill next Wednesday
>> After a 10-game win streak through the heart of the season, the Vulcans are just 6-3 in their last nine games since Jan. 13; Those losses came at Seton Hill (64-58), at Mercyhurst (61-53) and at No. 15 Edinboro (79-66)
>> Along with IUP, the Vulcans are arguably the top defensive team in the PSAC, ranking second by giving up just 56.2 PPG; They are sixth in Division II by forcing 24.3 turnovers per game
>> Sr. F Shatara Parsons is a PSAC West Athlete of the Year candidate, averaging 21.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game with 68 blocks and 74 steals

CRIMSON HAWKS AMONG TOP 25 TEAMS IN THE COUNTRY
>> IUP has been ranked in the top 25 of the WBCA poll in all 11 releases this year, reaching 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 .775 win percentage is first all-time among IUP coaches, and his 110 victories are 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 195-137 (.587) 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 MOST BALANCED TEAMS IN THE CONFERENCE
>> The Crimson Hawks lead the PSAC with a scoring defense of 52.3 PPG and a rebounding margin of +5.8; They also rank third with a scoring offense of 74.8 PPG
>> The IUP defense also leads the conference in field goal percentage (34.1) 
>> The Crimson Hawks are fifth in Division II with a scoring margin of +24.6, with 13 victories this year coming by more than 20 points
>> IUP leads the PSAC with a 47.0 FG% (682-1,450) and a 36.9 3FG% (164-445); They rank ninth and 17th, respectively, in those categories nationally
>> 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 6th in the PSAC with 17.1 PPG
>> She has seven 20-point performances, including two games of 30-plus points
>> 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 1,268 career points is 12th in program history - 11. Sherri Leysock (1277), 10. Sue Brecko (1299), 9. Leslie Stapleton (1304)
>> Her career 3-point percentage of 42.0 is currently the best in program history, and her 141 career treys are in a tie with Eryn Withers (Burtonsville, Md./Springbrook) for sixth - 5. Lindsay Stamp (169), 4. Katie Glaws (170), 3. Marita Mathe (184)

WOLOSIK ONE OF TOP DISTRIBUTORS IN THE PSAC
>> R-Jr. G Lauren Wolosik (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Catholic) leads the PSAC and ranks 36th in Division II with 4.8 assists per game
>> She set a career-high with 10 assists in a 79-61 win over East Stroudsburg (Jan. 10)
>> Wolosik is third in 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) has increased her scoring production since the start of 2018, averaging 14.7 PPG with 10 double-figure scoring outings in the last 11 games; She scored 21 points at Mercyhurst and 20 against Clarion
>> Appleby ranks 12th in the PSAC with a 42.2 FG% (125-296) 
>> She scored a career-high 30 points against California in last year's PSAC Championship win