INDIANA, Pa. – Senior forward Brittany Robinson scored a game-high 18 points and the IUP defense forced Gannon into 27 turnovers as the second-ranked Crimson Hawks opened divisional play with a 66-40 win at the Kovalchick Complex Wednesday night.
 
Robinson went 8-of-11 from the field, grabbed six rebounds and swiped a career-best six steals to help IUP improve to 10-0 on the year and 5-0 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
 
She was one of three Crimson Hawks in double-figures, with senior guard Carolyn Appleby scoring 15 and junior forward Lexi Griggs adding 12.
 
The Crimson Hawks got off to another good start, building a 10-point lead in the first quarter before going up 17-9 after the first 10 minutes of play. Robinson and Appleby exchanged buckets in the early going and scored 10 of those 17 points.
 
They struggled through a dry spell in the second quarter, making just 1-of-8 shots from the field over the first five minutes of play. Appleby, who picked up two early fouls, reentered and turned things around a pair of made foul shots on consecutive trips down the floor to jumpstart an 11-0 run.
 
Senior guard Lauren Wolosik made a couple of buckets on the run, followed by a 3-pointer from Appleby and a layup by Robinson.
 
Wolosik was making her return to the court after missing the last five games with an injury. She finished with just six points but dished out a season-high nine assists in 35 minutes.
 
IUP continued its hot play in the second half, using an another 11-0 run to take a 43-27 lead with two minutes left in the third. The Crimson Hawks led by at least 20 points for nearly all of the fourth quarter to close out the easy win.
 
Gannon (6-7, 2-4 PSAC) shot 53 percent in the first half but the Crimson Hawks turned up the pressure and the Lady Knights shot just 5-for-25 in the second, including 0-9 from 3-point range. Haley Tewes was the only player in double-figures for Gannon, coming off the bench to score 10.
 
Notes
The Crimson Hawks are No. 2 in the WBCA Top 25 and No. 6 in the D2SIDA Media Top 25 polls … At 10-0, this is the third best start for the Crimson Hawks in the coach Tom McConnell era … McConnell led IUP to a 13-0 start in 2014-15 and a 15-0 start last season … The longest win streak in program history is 16 games achieved during the 1999-00 season … IUP turned the ball over just eight times, the lowest output of the season … The 27 turnovers forced by IUP is tied for the second most in a game this season … Robinson also had one block Wednesday, moving into a tie with Megan Smith (2014-18) for third in IUP history with 138 career … Appleby moved into 12th place in IUP history with 1,287 career points … With 13 points Saturday she'll become the 11th player in program history with 1,300 points … Wolosik is now 14 points shy of 1,000 for her career … IUP is now the only undefeated team left in the PSAC as No. 12 Cal U lost to Edinboro 99-92 on the road Wednesday night to fall to 10-1 overall.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks are back at home Saturday to host surging Pitt-Johnstown, who has won three straight games to improve to 7-5 overall and 3-2 in the PSAC. Tipoff at the Kovalchick Complex is set for 5:30 p.m.
 
Follow
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