EDINBORO, Pa. – IUP junior guard Justina Mascaro blocked an Edinboro 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left to preserve a 66-63 win for the eighth-ranked Crimson Hawks at the McComb Fieldhouse Wednesday night.
 
The Crimson Hawks were forced to withstand a vicious Edinboro comeback over the last 15 minutes of play to earn their 13th straight victory. They improved to 15-1 overall and remain undefeated in conference play with a 10-0 league record.
 
IUP built a double-digit lead into the third quarter, using an 8-2 run to take a 39-24 lead with six minutes left. The Hawks withstood Edinboro's first surge and used a jumper by Mascaro at the end of the third to take a nine-point lead into the final 10 minutes.
 
Rajah Fink drilled a 3-pointer to open the frame before the Fighting Scots (7-7, 5-5 PSAC) ripped of a 15-0 run with the help of three 3-pointers by Bridgette Schaffer. Edinboro also forced IUP into five turnovers over a 3:32 span to take a 52-49 lead with 5:22 to play.
 
Mascaro stopped the bleeding with a layup and IUP regained the lead at 53-52 with a Lexi Griggs layup on its next possession. With 3:38 to play Shaffer hit her fifth trey of the quarter to give Edinboro its biggest second half lead at 58-54.
 
IUP came back, using free throws by Maria Cerro, a jumper by Natalie Myers and a 3-pointer off the fingertips of Courtney Alexander to take a 62-60 lead with a minute to play. But the Fighting Scots came right back and Shaffer answered with another shot from deep as they took a one-point lead with 49 seconds to play.
 
Again IUP capitalized on Edinboro's aggressive play, as Myers gave the Hawks the lead at 64-63 with a pair from the line. After a missed layup by Michaela Barnes on the other end, Mascaro was fouled grabbing the rebound and she hit two all-important shots to make it a 66-63 game with 16 seconds left.
 
Shaffer's first attempt to tie the game with four seconds left just missed but Edinboro had another shot after the rebound bounced off an IUP player. Barnes had her chance, getting open at the top of the circle, but Mascaro recovered from in the paint and blocked the shot as time expired.
 
Who stood out
Mascaro scored a team-best 20 points on the night, finishing 8-of-11 from the floor with a pair of 3-pointers. She also grabbed four rebounds, dished out four assists and had a career-high four blocks in the full 40 minutes.
 
She was one of four Hawks in double-figures, with Myers adding 14 points, Alexander 12 and Griggs 10. Myers also had eight rebounds while Alexander had six.
 
The Crimson Hawks turned the ball over a season-high 25 times but overcame that by shooting 13-of-21 (61.9 percent) in the second half, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range.
 
Notes
The Crimson Hawks entered the game ranked No. 8 in the WBCA Top 25 and No. 14 in the D2SIDA Media Top 25 polls … The 13-game win streak is tied for the third longest under head coach Tom McConnell … McConnell and IUP had 15-game win streaks each of the last two seasons and a 13-game win streak in 2014-15 ... This was McConnell's 248th career victory, including 163 at IUP and 85 as the head men's coach at Saint Francis … IUP had defeated Edinboro six straight times and has won 11 of the last 12 meetings.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks return home for the first time in two weeks when they host rival and 20th-ranked Cal U (13-3, 7-3 PSAC) Saturday night. Tipoff at the Kovalchick Complex 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.