CLARION, Pa. – Sophomore guard Rajah Fink came off the bench to score a career-high 24 points to help eighth-ranked IUP women's basketball earn an easy 77-46 victory over Clarion Wednesday night.
 
It was the second straight blowout victory for the Crimson Hawks as they improved to 25-2 overall on the year. This also marks the third time in the last six years that IUP has 20 conference wins, improving to 20-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
 
It was not easy in the beginning for the Crimson Hawks, who shot just 4-of-14 and turned the ball over six times in the first quarter to fall behind 18-10 after 10 minutes of play.
 
IUP opened the second quarter by making six of its first seven shots to go on a 13-4 run and take the lead. A 3-pointer by Natalie Myers just over three minutes into the quarter gave the Crimson Hawks a 21-20 lead, their first since the opening minute of the game.
 
The Hawks ended the half on a 9-2 run to wrap up a 24-point second quarter. After that slow start they shot 10-of-15 in the second, as Fink led the way with eight points, and they took a 34-29 lead to halftime.
 
IUP had a huge defensive third quarter as the lead continued to grow. The Hawks held Clarion to just 1-of-12 from the field, forced three turnovers and had a 15-8 advantage on the glass as they built a 55-33 lead.
 
Clarion's only field goal of the quarter came at the 6:22 mark as IUP went on a 16-1 run. Fink and Lexi Griggs combined for 16 of the Hawks' 21 points in the quarter.
 
IUP finished the game strong, building its lead to 30 points on a jumper by Myers three minutes into the fourth. Six different Hawks scored in the quarter as they went 10-of-14 from the field and put up 22 points.
 
After the first quarter, IUP outscored Clarion 67-28, shot 60.4 percent from the field, and turned the ball over just five times in the final 30 minutes. On the other end, the Hawks' defense held Clarion to 10-of-40 shooting and forced 10 turnovers after the first quarter.
 
Who stood out
This was Fink's second 20-point game of the season, scoring 20 points in an IUP win at Mercyhurst. She had her best-ever shooting day, going 9-of-12 from the field while making 6-of-8 from the foul line in 26 minutes. Fink added five rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal.
 
She led four Hawks in double-figures. Myers scored 16 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists. Myers shot 6-of-12 from field, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range.
 
Griggs went for 12 points, nine rebounds and five steals while Maura D'Anna had 10 points, six boards and two blocks.
 
Notes
The Crimson Hawks entered the game ranked No. 8 in the WBCA Top 25 and No. 9 in the D2SIDA Media Top 25 polls … IUP is also No. 1 in the NCAA Atlantic Region rankings, which determine seeding for the Division II tournament … This was IUP's second straight blowout road victory, also defeating Seton Hill 71-44 in Greensburg Saturday … IUP swept the season series with Clarion, winning by a combined 63 points.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks wrap up the best regular season in program history with a Senior Night matchup against Pitt-Johnstown (16-11, 11-10 PSAC) Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.