CLARION, Pa. – The Crimson Hawks went on a 26-0 run in the second half to open up a huge lead as No. 1-ranked IUP women's basketball picked up a 73-51 road win over Clarion at its Student Recreation Center Saturday afternoon.
 
The win comes after the Crimson Hawks' first loss of the season as they improve to 16-1 overall and 11-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
 
IUP clung to a 39-35 lead after a 7-0 run by Clarion (7-12, 1-11 PSAC) midway through the third quarter. That served as the Crimson Hawks' wake-up call, as they preceded to score the game's next 26 points during a 7:21 span into the fourth quarter to take control of the contest. The big run gave them a 65-35 lead with eight minutes to play in the game.
 
Senior guard Carolyn Appleby was one of the keys to the run, making plays on both ends of the court with 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and four steals.
 
Also scoring on the run were senior guard Lauren Wolosik and senior forward Brittany Robinson with six points each, and junior forward Lexi Griggs with four points.
 
IUP put it on cruise control from there to post its 14th win of 20-plus points this year.
 
Appleby and Griggs each finished with a game-high 17 points. Robinson tallied her second double-double of the year with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Wolosik added 12 points.
 
The Crimson Hawks shot nearly 52 percent from the floor and turned the ball over just seven times on the afternoon. Their plus-17 rebound margin was their best since out-rebounding Millersville by 22 back on December 2.
 
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 5-1 playing as the No. 1 team in the nation … The Crimson Hawks improved to 7-0 on the road this year … Wolosik moved into second place in IUP history with 431 career assists … IUP head coach Tom McConnell (134) is seven wins shy of tying Jan Kiger (141) for the most in program history … He's 10-1 lifetime against Clarion.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks are back on the road Wednesday with a game in Greensburg against Seton Hill. The Griffins are 12-7 overall and tied for fourth in the PSAC West standings with a 6-6 league record. They defeated Pitt-Johnstown 86-64 on the road Saturday. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.