INDIANA, Pa. – IUP women's basketball made more history Saturday night as the eighth-ranked Crimson Hawks defeated Pitt-Johnstown 68-48 in their regular season finale at the Kovalchick Complex. The victory was IUP's 26th of the year which set a new program record for regular season wins.
 
Made sweeter was that the win came as the Crimson Hawks celebrated Senior Night, with Lexi Griggs, Madison Kerr and Natalie Myers honored prior to tip.
 
Griggs and Myers led the victorious effort, scoring 19 and 13 points, respectively. Myers also grabbed eight rebounds.
 
The Crimson Hawks wrapped up the regular season with a 26-2 overall record. Having locked up the regular season division title over a week ago, they also finished with a 21-1 conference record. The 21 conference victories are also a new program record.
 
Pitt-Johnstown finished its regular season with a 16-12 overall record, including 11-11 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). The Mountain Cats will be the fifth seed from the Western Division as the conference tournament begins next week.
 
The Crimson Hawks held the momentum early, racing out to a double-digit lead at 20-10 while still in the first quarter. Griggs and Myers led the way with seven and six points, respectively.
 
The scoring dipped in the second quarter as UPJ was able to close the gap to five points at 29-24 before the break.
 
IUP shot a combined 9-of-27 and committed eight turnovers in the second and third quarters as the Mountain Cats clawed back. UPJ outscored the Hawks 30-26 as they took a 46-42 lead into the fourth.
 
That's where IUP regained control and grabbed all the momentum.
 
The Hawks opened the quarter on a 10-0 run, with Courtney Alexander hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to take a 56-42 lead. The IUP defense clamped down, forcing four straight missed field goals as UPJ didn't make a shot until 4:55 was left on the clock.
 
IUP went on to outscore the Mountain Cats 22-6 in the quarter, forcing UPJ into 2-of-15 shooting and four turnovers. The Crimson Hawks shot 6-of-9 and had a 12-5 rebounding edge over the final 10 minutes.
 
Who stood out
In addition to the performances from Griggs and Myers, Alexander added 18 points in the win. She finished 5-of-11 from the field – all 3-pointers – and went 3-of-4 from the foul line. She added six rebounds in 35 minutes.
 
Maura D'Anna helped the Crimson Hawks on the glass with eight rebounds while Justina Mascaro had seven assists and five steals. Rajah Fink came off the bench to score nine points.
 
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 third straight win by at least 20 points … The Hawks have held 10 of their last 11 opponents under 60 points … IUP swept the season series with UPJ.
 
Up next
As the No. 1 seed in the West, the Crimson Hawks earned a bye in the first round of the PSAC tournament and will host a quarterfinal matchup at the Kovalchick Complex Wednesday, March 4. IUP will play the winner of the No. 4/5 first round matchup of Cal U and Pitt-Johnstown.
 
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.