ERIE, Pa. – Clinging to a one-point halftime lead, the eighth-ranked Crimson Hawks outscored Gannon by 13 points in the second half to come away with a 62-48 win in battle between the top two teams in the division Saturday night at the Hammermill Center.
 
The win was the 12th straight for the Crimson Hawks, who improved to 14-1 overall and remained on top of the PSAC Western Division with a perfect 9-0 league record. Gannon entered the night in second place behind IUP and drops to 11-4 overall and 7-2 in conference play.
 
Junior guard Justina Mascaro scored a team-high 17 points, including nine during the key fourth quarter, to lead the way for the Crimson Hawks.
 
The Crimson Hawks shot 50 percent (11-of-22) in the first half but suffered through 12 turnovers to lead just 25-24 at the break.
 
They used that hot shooting in the first quarter to go on a 9-0 run and open up a quick 15-4 lead, highlighted by a corner 3-pointer by Courtney Alexander. In the second quarter Gannon forced the Hawks into seven turnovers, including three in 73 seconds, to make it a one-point game at the break.
 
The tables turned in the second half as the IUP defense forced the Lady Knights into nine turnovers. The Crimson Hawks took advantage, using a 13-6 run in the third quarter to take a 42-35 lead. Natalie Myers sparked the run with a 3-pointer, with Alexander following with two treys of her own.
 
After Gannon closed the gap to four points early in the fourth, IUP rolled off 13 straight points with four different players – Mascaro, Myers, Alexander and Lexi Griggs – all getting in the action. The lead reached as many as 19 points for the Crimson Hawks as they cruised down the stretch.
 
Who stood out
Mascaro shot 6-of-11 from the field and went 4-of-6 from the foul line in 38 minutes. Alexander came off the bench to score 16 points also on 6-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range. It's the fourth time in the last seven games she has made at least four 3-pointers.
 
Myers scored 13 points, including seven in the third quarter, and grabbed six rebounds. Maura D'Anna had three blocked shots to go along with her eight points.
 
Notes
The Crimson Hawks entered the game ranked No. 8 in the WBCA Top 25 and No. 15 in the D2SIDA Media Top 25 polls … The 12-game win streak ties the fourth longest under head coach Tom McConnell … McConnell and IUP had 15-game win streaks in each of the last two seasons, a 13-game streak in 2014-15 and a 12-game streak in 2016-17 … IUP now has a two-game lead on second place Seton Hill and Gannon (7-2) in the divisional standings … This was McConnell's 247th career victory, including 162 at IUP and 85 as the head men's coach at Saint Francis.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks have their third of three straight road games next Wednesday with a matchup at Edinboro (7-6, 5-4). Tipoff is 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.