GAMEDAY CENTRAL
No. 19/22 IUP Crimson Hawks (24-2, 19-2 PSAC)
at Seton Hill Griffins (19-8, 14-7 PSAC)
Saturday, February 24, 2018 | 1 p.m.
Greensburg, Pa. | McKenna Center

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

PSAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, Feb. 28 Quarterfinals vs. TBD (5:30 p.m.)

THE GAME AT A GLANCE
9th-ranked IUP women's basketball 924-2, 19-2 PSAC) looks to close out the regular season on a high note as they face Seton Hill (19-8, 14-7 PSAC) on the road Saturday. Tipoff in Greensburg is 1 p.m. at the McKenna Center. The Crimson Hawks are winners of seven straight and have clinched the PSAC West regular season title after Wednesday's 67-53 win over 11th-ranked Edinboro. The Griffins have split their last eight games overall and are coming off a 68-54 road loss to 24th-ranked California. 

TIPOFF NOTES
>> The Crimson Hawks are PSAC West champs under HC Tom McConnell for the second time since 2015; They've clinched the No. 1 seed in the division and home court advantage in next week's PSAC tournament
>> IUP defeated the Griffins 86-60 at home on Jan. 24; Sr. F Megan Smith (Blain, Pa./West Perry) scored 24 points and the Crimson Hawks outrebounded Seton Hill 49-28
>> IUP was the first PSAC team to 20 wins this year, with its current 24 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)
>> The 24-2 record for IUP is tied with the 2014-15 team for the best 26-game stretch in program history
>> IUP is 9-2 on the road this year with losses to 14th-ranked Cal (62-53) and to Mercyhurst (66-61)
>> The Griffins are 8-3 at home this year, losing two of their last three at the McKenna Center

SERIES WITH SETON HILL
>> IUP leads the all-time series with Seton Hill 9-2
>> IUP HC Tom McConnell is 7-2 lifetime against the Griffins, with his two losses coming in Greensburg - 68-54 on Feb. 24, 2016 and 63-62 on Dec. 7, 2013

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE GRIFFINS
>> Seton Hill is 19-8 overall and has clinched the fourth seed in the division in the upcoming PSAC tournament with a 14-7 league record
>> The Griffins are currently No. 8 in the NCAA Atlantic Region rankings, released on Wednesday afternoon; This is Seton Hill's first appearance in the regional rankings since the 2009-10 season
>> After starting 15-4, the Griffins are 4-4 in their last eight games, including the 86-60 loss to IUP on Jan. 24
>> Seton Hill is 1-4 against nationally-ranked teams this year, defeating 10th-ranked Cal 64-58 on Jan. 13
>> Fr. G Cheyenne Trest has been named the PSAC West Freshman of the Week nine times this season; She averages 14.8 PPG with a 41.9 3FG% and has a team-high 80 assists

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 are 2nd in both installments of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region rankings; The NCAA field of 64 will be announced Sunday, March 4

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 112-32 (.778) record in five seasons at IUP
>> His .778 win percentage is leads all IUP coaches, and his 112 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 197-137 (.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 (52.2 PPG); The Crimson Hawks have held opponents to less than 60 points 20 times in 26 games
>> The Crimson Hawks are 3rd in the PSAC in scoring offense (74.7 PPG) and are 5th in the nation in scoring margin (+22.5); 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 (+6.0), field goal pct. (46.9), 3-point pct. (36.8), defensive field goal pct. (34.1) and defensive 3-point field goal pect. (27.5)

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 42.9 3FG% (1st), 2.4 3s per game (3rd), and 47.3 FG% (5th) 
>> 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 1,309 career points is 9th in program history - 8. Sarah Pastorek (Johnstown/Bishop McCort) (1311), 7. Sarah Zdesar (1339), 6. Leah Simmons (1342), 5. Terri Piatak (1347)
>> Her career 3-point percentage of 41.2 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 46th in Division II with 4.6 assists per game
>> She set a career-high with 10 assists in a 79-61 win over East Stroudsburg (Jan. 10)
>> Wolosik is 3rd in the PSAC and ranks 29th in Division II with a 2.1 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 12 times in the last 13 games, including three 20-point performances; She's 2nd on the team in scoring during that span with 15.9 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