INDIANA, Pa. – One of the best starts in program history came to an end Wednesday night as the No. 1 ranked IUP women's basketball team dropped a 61-56 decision to rival and No. 13 California (Pa.) at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
It was the first loss of the season for the Crimson Hawks, who are now 15-1 overall and in a tie with Cal for first in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division with a 10-1 league record.
 
The 15 straight wins to open the season tied last season's 15-0 start and fell one game short of the program record of 16-0, set in the 1999-00 season. The Vulcans also ended IUP's win streak last season.
 
The Crimson Hawks looked good in the early going, hitting 8-of-14 from the floor and outrebounding the Vulcans 11-to-5 to take a 17-11 lead after the first quarter of play. IUP twice built leads of seven points, as junior forward Lexi Griggs had six points, five rebounds and a block in the first quarter.
 
The difference in the game came in the last three minutes of the second quarter, as IUP led 30-23. The Vulcans (16-1, 10-1 PSAC) exploded for 12 points in the final 3:26 of the half, while the Crimson Hawks missed six straight shots and turned the ball over twice during that time and trailed 35-30 heading into the break.
 
It was the first time that IUP trailed at the half of a regular season game since December 7, 2017 at Bowie State.
 
The Vulcans shot 8-of-12 from the field in the second quarter and took advantage of their trips to the line with six more points on free throws to outscore IUP 24-13 in the frame.
 
Cal took a 42-35 lead four minutes into the third quarter when the Crimson Hawks began chipping away at their deficit. Senior forward Brittany Robinson scored back-to-back buckets and senior guard Carolyn Appleby later hit a running jumper to make it a 44-41 Cal lead with 2:16 to play.
 
Robinson battled through foul trouble to finish with a team-high 16 points.
 
After a pair of free throws by senior guard Ana Hollen with less than a minute to play, Appleby again came up with a big play with a layup-and-one to tie the game at 46-46 heading to the final quarter.
 
IUP led for most of the quarter, going up 51-50 with 4:46 to play on a layup by Griggs. Back-to-back buckets by the Vulcans put them on top 54-51 with under three minutes to play, and they held a 56-53 lead after a pair of free throws with 26 seconds left.
 
Another determining factor came at the free throw line, where Cal made 17-of-26 freebies while the Crimson Hawks were just 4-of-5. IUP didn't shoot its first foul shot until Hollen's made pair with 55 seconds to play in the third quarter.
 
Down by three with under 20 seconds to play, IUP was whistled for an offensive foul as Cal split a pair at the foul line. Hollen then drained a huge 3-pointer to bring IUP back to within one at 57-56 with 14 seconds left.
 
But Cal connected on two more free throws and after a missed IUP 3-point attempt, added two more for insurance to clinch the 5-point win.
 
Hollen added a season-high 11 points on the strength of three 3-pointers in 25 minutes off the bench.
 
Appleby fouled out after 31 minutes of play while Griggs, Hollen, Robinson and Wolosik played in foul trouble.
 
The Crimson Hawks outshot Cal 45 percent to 39 percent but turned the ball over a season-worst 21 times.
 
Notes
The Crimson Hawks entered the game No. 1 in the WBCA Top 25 and No. 3 in the D2SIDA Media Top 25 polls … IUP is now 4-1 playing as the No. 1 team in the nation … The 56 points scored by IUP was a season-low and the fewest since netting 53 in a loss at Cal January 17 last season … IUP head coach Tom McConnell is now 4-10 lifetime against Cal, the only conference opponent that has a winning record against him … Appleby became the fifth player in program history to score 1,400 career points, finishing with nine points Wednesday for a total of 1,401 in four seasons at IUP.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks will have to rebound on the road as they face Clarion Saturday afternoon. The Golden Eagles are 7-11 overall but last in the PSAC West with a 1-10 league record. They've dropped eight straight, including a 92-45 decision to Edinboro at home Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Clarion's Student Recreation Center.
 
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.