GREENSBURG, Pa. – Senior guard Carolyn Appleby scored 18 points and helped IUP force 26 turnovers as the fifth-ranked Crimson Hawks defeated Seton Hill 72-57 Wednesday night at the McKenna Center.
 
Appleby had a poor shooting night but still led the Crimson Hawks in scoring while also collecting six rebounds and four steals. It was her final regular season game in her hometown of Greensburg.
 
IUP scored 27 points off of Seton Hill's 26 turnovers, including 20 in the first half. The Crimson Hawks forced the Griffins into 16 turnovers in the first 20 minutes, with nine of those coming in the second quarter.
 
IUP (17-1, 12-1 PSAC) raced out to a 15-2 lead after just six minutes of play with the help of five early Seton Hill turnovers. Four starters scored for the Crimson Hawks in their 17-4 first quarter with six points coming from junior forward Lexi Griggs.
 
The Crimson Hawks quickly increased their lead to 22 points at 26-4 with a 3-pointer by Ana Hollen less than three minutes into the second quarter.
 
Those Seton Hill turnovers helped IUP extend its lead to as many as 26 points in the quarter before going into the locker room with a 43-20 advantage on the scoreboard.
 
After IUP grabbed a 52-22 lead early in the second half, the Griffins (12-8, 6-7 PSAC) reeled off eight straight points and eventually cut their deficit to 19 points late in the third quarter. Then they put together a 9-0 run into the fourth quarter to make it a 59-44 game with 7:23 to play.
 
Appleby knocked down a 3-pointer a minute later to put IUP back on top by 20 points, padding the lead with 6:05 left to play. Seton Hill put together one final rally with an 11-4 run to make it a 13-point game with 2:31 remaining but it was too little, too late for the Griffins.
 
Appleby was one of all five IUP starters to score in double-figures, including Brittany Robinson with 14 points, Griggs with 12 points, Natalie Myers with 11 and Lauren Wolosik with 10.
 
Robinson also had seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Wolosik dished out eight assists and turned the ball over just once.
 
Notes
The Crimson Hawks entered the game No. 5 in the WBCA Top 25 and No. 10 in the D2SIDA Media Top 25 polls … They improved to 8-0 on the road this season and are now 25-4 against PSAC opponents in true road games since the start of the 2016-17 season … IUP extended its win streak over Seton Hill to six games and head coach Tom McConnell is now 10-2 against the Griffins … Appleby averaged 17.8 points in four games against Seton Hill in Greensburg … The 26 turnovers forced by IUP is its most since forcing Gannon into 27 turnovers on January 2.
 
Up next
The win helped the Crimson Hawks keep pace with Cal as both teams are 12-1 in the division and three games ahead of third place Edinboro. IUP starts the second half of divisional play Saturday with a home matchup against Mercyhurst (8-12, 5-8 PSAC) at 5:30 p.m. The Crimson Hawks won the first meeting 74-57 in Erie on Jan 9. The Lakers have dropped two straight games and are eighth in the division standings.
 
Follow
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