INDIANA, Pa. – Senior forward Lexi Griggs scored 21 points while the Crimson Hawks' defense was solid as fifth-ranked IUP women's basketball easily handled Slipped Rock 77-48 Saturday night at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
IUP stretched its record win-streak to 19, improving to 21-1 overall and 16-0 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in the process.
 
Slippery Rock played a tough first quarter as the Crimson Hawks led just 18-15 after the first 10 minutes. With difference at five points early in the second, IUP rattled off 11 straight points to grab a 16-point lead at 34-18 just before halftime.
 
Justina Mascaro opened the run with a pair of foul shots and later hit a layup, with Griggs, Rajah Fink and Courtney Alexander each adding buckets. Alexander capped IUP's scoring in the first half with a 3-pointer.
 
The IUP defense held The Rock (6-17, 4-13 PSAC) scoreless for 6:53 as they missed 13 straight field goal attempts. The managed a pair of foul shots after a foul was called with under a second left in the half.
 
Griggs opened with the second half with a bucket to get the IUP lead back to 16 points. SRU responded with an 11-2 run to get its deficit back down to single digits at 38-31 with six minutes left in the third quarter.
 
After a timeout, Mascaro hit a layup-and-one and Fink followed with a 3-pointer as the Hawks went on a 13-2 run to take a 51-33 lead late in the quarter. Fink wrapped up the quarter with a coast-to-coast layup to put IUP on top by 19 heading to the fourth.
 
The Crimson Hawks added to their lead in the fourth as seven players chipped in with points in the runaway victory.
 
The IUP defense limited Slippery Rock to a 23.1 field goal percentage on the night. SRU made more free throws (16) than field goals (15). IUP players totaled eight blocks.
 
The Crimson Hawks turned the ball over a season-low seven times and outrebounded SRU 44-to-41.
 
Who stood out
Griggs posted her second 20-point outing of the season as she converted 7-of-9 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers. She also went 5-of-5 from the foul line, and had four rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal in 35 minutes.
 
Fink posted her second big outing off the bench with 16 points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes. She went 6-of-12 from the field with a pair of 3-pointers, posting a big third quarter with nine points.
 
Senior guard Natalie Myers quietly put together her seventh double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. She also dished out four assists and had three steals. Mascaro didn't shot well but went 5-of-6 from the foul line and finished with nine points, six assists and three blocks.
 
Notes
The Crimson Hawks entered the game ranked No. 5 in the WBCA Top 25 and No. 7 in the D2SIDA Media Top 25 polls … IUP swept the regular season series with Slippery Rock for the 13th straight year … It's IUP's 26th straight victory in the SRU series … The Rock hasn't won in Indiana since February 2005 (15 years) … IUP has a three-game lead over Gannon (18-5, 14-3 PSAC) in the divisional standings with five games left to play.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks hit the road Wednesday to face rival Cal U (16-6, 10-6 PSAC) at the Convocation Center. Tipoff is 5:30 p.m.
 
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.