SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Junior guard Justina Mascaro had a game to remember with career-highs of 32 points and 11 rebounds as she led the 11th-ranked IUP women's basketball team to a 69-61 victory at Shippensburg Saturday night at Heiges Field House.
 
Mascaro followed a 23-point performance Friday with tonight's double-double, the first of her career.
 
She shot 13-of-23 from the field, hit two 3-pointers, and went 4-of-5 from the foul line in 37 minutes.
 
The win was the eighth straight for the Crimson Hawks, who improved to 10-1 overall and 5-0 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play. Shippensburg dropped to 6-5 and 3-2.
 
How it happened
Shippensburg led for most of the first quarter and grabbed an 18-13 lead early in the second before the Crimson Hawks began to chip away.
 
Redshirt junior Courtney Alexander drained a 3-pointer and Mascaro hit a pair of buckets to tie the game at 20-20. IUP later went on a 12-6 run, highlighted by two more treys by Alexander and Mascaro to take a 6-point lead late in the half.
 
Mascaro scored IUP's first seven points of the second half and a jumper by senior forward Lexi Griggs gave the Crimson Hawks its biggest lead at 41-33. The Raiders came back to tie the game at 43-43, but 3-pointers by Alexander on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter gave IUP a 7-point lead with seven minutes to play.
 
Again Shippensburg cut into IUP's lead as free throws by leading scorer Ariel Jones made it a 55-54 game two minutes later. But the Crimson Hawks responded, using an 11-4 run to get a comfortable lead in the last few minutes.
 
Mascaro scored six points in the final 2:49 and Alexander went 5-of-6 from the foul line down the stretch.
 
Who stood out
Mascaro's 32 points were the first 30-point game of the season for the Crimson Hawks and the first since Lauren Wolosik had 33 against Edinboro last year. Not to be outdone, Alexander also tallied a career-high with 20 points in 27 minutes off the bench. She drained four 3-pointers and finished 6-of-7 from the foul line. D'Anna grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and had two steals.
 
The Crimson Hawks outrebounded Shippensburg 47-to-27, grabbing 18 offensive rebounds.
 
Notes
The Crimson Hawks entered the game ranked No. 11 in the WBCA Top 25 and No. 22 in the D2SIDA Media Top 25 polls … IUP has been ranked in each of the last 41 poll releases dating back to the end of the 2016-17 season … The Crimson Hawks have won five straight road games and have not played at home since November 24 … The +20 rebounding margin was the biggest of the season for IUP … Mascaro's double-double was the sixth of the season for the Crimson Hawks.
 
Up next
This was the last action in December for the Crimson Hawks, who finished the month with four straight road victories. They return to the court Friday, January 3 with a home game against Lock Haven.
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.