GLENVILLE, W.Va. – Senior forward Brittany Robinson had a double-double and was one of five starters in double-figures as the Crimson Hawks defeated Bowie State 67-60 in the opening round of the 2019 NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Championships at Glenville State's Waco Center Friday.
 
Robinson finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds and added five blocks to help IUP advance to Saturday's Atlantic Region semifinals against Virginia Union.
 
The Crimson Hawks' five starters saw the majority of the playing time and combined for all 67 of the team's points.
 
Senior guard Carolyn Appleby scored a game-high 19 points and had seven rebounds. Classmate Lauren Wolosik added 13 points and five assists, and juniors Lexi Griggs and Natalie Myers each scored 11.
 
IUP battled with one of the best defensive teams in Division II as Bowie State (22-6) entered the game leading the nation by allowing just 48.5 points per game. The Crimson Hawks overcame 17 turnovers by shooting 51.1 percent from the field with 10 made 3-pointers.
 
Appleby, Wolosik and Myers each knocked down three 3-pointers to give IUP its first double-digit outing in the last five games.
 
The Crimson Hawks built their largest lead of the first half by going into the second quarter on top 15-9. After a low-scoring opening frame, the offense picked up as Bowie State put up 23 points on the strength of six offensive rebounds.
 
IUP held off a 10-4 Bowie State run toward the end of the half with back-to-back triples by Griggs and Myers before taking a slim 33-32 lead into the break.
 
The third was a deadlock with each team trading big shots in a quarter that saw three lead changes and a pair of ties. Griggs' layup with 18 seconds left gave IUP a 47-45 lead heading to the fourth.
 
With Bowie State on top 57-55 nearing five minutes to play, Appleby gave IUP a boost by knocking down a 3-pointer to take a 1-point lead.
 
From there on out it was all IUP as the Crimson Hawks held Bowie State without a field goal for the last 5:38 as they finished on an 8-1 run to ice the game and advance.
 
Notes
IUP is making its fifth straight NCAA tournament appearance, a program record … This was a rematch of last year's Atlantic Region Championship game won by the Crimson Hawks 75-60 in Richmond, Va. … The Crimson Hawks improved to 14-1 away from home this year including 2-0 in neutral site games … IUP is now 8-5 all-time in NCAA tournament openers, including 3-2 under head coach Tom McConnell … IUP is 5-1 in its last six NCAA tournament games dating back to last year … McConnell is now 6-1 lifetime against Bowie State, including five straight wins.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks will square off with Virginia Union Saturday for the right to play for an Atlantic Region title. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. This will be the first time these two have played since the 2017 Atlantic Region semifinals at Cal U with Virginia Union winning 62-58. The Panthers are the second seed in the Atlantic Region, are the CIAA champions and have a 28-2 overall record.
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.