GAMEDAY CENTRAL
No. 9/22 IUP Crimson Hawks (23-2, 18-2 PSAC)
vs. No. 11/12 Edinboro Fighting Scots  (22-2, 18-2 PSAC)
Wednesday, February 21, 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)
Watch: ESPN | WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Social Media: Twitter | @IUP_WBB

COMING UP
Saturday, Feb. 24 at Seton Hill (3 p.m.)
PSAC Tournament, dates TBD

THE GAME AT A GLANCE
9th-ranked IUP women's basketball (23-2, 18-2 PSAC) looks to clinch a PSAC West regular season title in a battle of top 15 teams as 11th-ranked Edinboro (22-2, 18-2 PSAC) comes to the Kovalchick Complex Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tied for the top spot in the division, both teams enter this matchup on winning streaks as the Crimson Hawks have won six straight and the Fighting Scots nine in a row.   

WEDNESDAY NIGHT IS SENIOR NIGHT AT IUP
Prior to tipoff on Wednesday night, IUP will honor its three seniors before their final home regular season game

TIPOFF NOTES
>> This game is part of the Division II Showcase streamed live on WatchESPN and the ESPN app
>> IUP was the first PSAC team to 20 wins this year, with its current 23 victories the best in the league; It's the fourth straight 20-win season for IUP and the 11th since the 1998-99 season (20 years)
>> An IUP win would clinch the program's first PSAC West regular season title since 2015 and sixth overall
>> IUP defeated the Fighting Scots 74-68 in the season's first meeting in Edinboro on Jan. 13; Sr. F Megan Smith (Blain, Pa./West Perry) scored 22 points as the Crimson Hawks overcame foul trouble from their post players
>> The 23-2 record for IUP is tied with the 2014-15 team for the best 25-game stretch in program history
>> IUP is 14-0 at home this year, outscoring opponents by 29 points
>> The Fighting Scots are 10-1 in true road games this year, with their only loss at 10th-ranked Cal 74-71 (Dec. 30)

SERIES WITH EDINBORO
>> Edinboro leads the all-time serires 47-40
>> The Crimson Hawks have won seven of the last eight meetings in the series; IUP is looking for its third regular season sweep of Edinboro in the last four seasons
>> IUP HC Tom McConnell is 7-4 against Edinboro, including a 3-2 record at home 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE FIGHTING SCOTS
>> Edinboro is 22-2 overall and currently tied with IUP for first place in the PSAC West with an 18-2 league record
>> The Fighting Scots are one of the best teams in the nation, ranking 11th in the latest WBCA Coaches Poll; They are also 3rd in the Atlantic Region rankings, which determines NCAA tournament seeding
>> They're also the hottest team in the PSAC with a nine-game win streak; Edinboro last loss came to IUP at home (74-68) back on Jan. 13
>> Edinboro is 2-2 against top 25 teams this year - No. 2 Virginia Union (W 89-79, Nov. 11); No. 10 Cal (L 74-71, Dec. 30); No. 3 IUP (L 74-68, Jan. 13); No. 14 Cal (W 79-66, Feb. 3)
>> The Fighting Scots own one of the top scoring offenses (2nd, 79.2 PPG) and scoring defenses (3rd, 58.7 PPG) in the PSAC; They are defeating teams by nearly 23 points during their nine-game win streak

CRIMSON HAWKS AMONG BEST TEAMS IN REGION, DIVISION II
>> IUP has been ranked in the top 25 of the WBCA poll in all 12 releases this year, reaching No. 2 on  Jan. 17
>> That No. 2 ranking is the highest achieved in program history
>> The Crimson Hawks were ranked 2nd in the initial NCAA Division II Atlantic Region rankings released last week; The next installment will be announced Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 21

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); He currently owns a 111-32 (.776) record in five seasons at IUP
>> His .776 win percentage is leads all IUP coaches, and his 111 victories are third
>> 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 196-137 (.589) 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
>> IUP leads the PSAC and ranks 2nd in Division II in scoring defense (52.1 PPG); The Crimson Hawks have held opponents to less than 60 points 19 times in 25 games
>> The Crimson Hawks are 3rd in the PSAC in scoring offense (75.0 PPG) and are 5th in the nation in scoring margin (+22.9); They've defeated opponents by 20+ points 14 times this year
>> The Crimson Hawks set a school record with 125 points in its Education Day victory over Geneva (Dec. 18)
>> IUP also leads the PSAC in rebound margin (+6.2), field goal pct. (47.1), 3-point pct. (37.0), and defensive field goal pct. (34.0) 

SMITH PUTTING TOGETHER A CAREER SCORING YEAR
>> Sr. F Megan Smith (Blain, Pa./West Perry) is a PSAC West Player of the Year candidate, ranking high in the PSAC with 17.3 PPG (6th), a 44.4 3FG% (1st), 2.5 3s per game (2nd), and 47.9 FG% (4th) 
>> She has eight 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 (Dec. 9); Her 1,291 career points is 11th in program history - 10. Sue Brecko (1299), 9. Leslie Stapleton (1304), 8. Sarah Pastorek (Johnstown/Bishop McCort) (1311) 
>> Her career 3-point percentage of 41.8 is currently the best in program history, and her 143 career treys are 6th - 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 39th 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 2nd in the PSAC and ranks 25th in Division II with a 2.2 assist-turnover ratio

APPLEBY AGAIN TURNING UP THE OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION IN CRUNCH TIME
>> Jr. G Carolyn Appleby (Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic) has scored in double-figures 11 times in the last 12 games, including two 20-point performances; She's 2nd on the team in scoring during that span with 15.1 PPG
>> She did the same a year ago, averaging 19.3 PPG in the last six games of the season, including a 30-point performance in the PSAC Championship win over Cal