INDIANA, Pa. - The No. 8 IUP women's basketball team (9-0, 3-0 PSAC) closes out its December schedule with a pair of challenging home conference crossover matchups with Shepherd (9-0, 3-0 PSAC) and Shippensburg (6-3, 2-1 PSAC) this weekend. The Crimson Hawks will play Shepherd Saturday and Shippensburg Sunday, with both games starting at 1 p.m. at the Kovalchick Complex. IUP has won nine straight to start the year and is coming off a 70-40 home win over Millersville Tuesday. The Rams were also last in action Tuesday, defeating Pitt-Johnstown on the road 71-51 while the Raiders defeated Clarion 67-48 in Clarion. 

TIPOFF NOTES
>> Sr. G Justina Mascaro scored a game-high 18 points on an efficient shooting night (6-7 FGs, 6-7 FTs) in the win over Millersville. It was a season-high for Mascaro, who is averaging a team-best 13.9 PPG. 
>> IUP held Millersville to a 27.8 FG%, the fifth time this year the Hawks held a team below 30 pct. from the floor. 
>> It was the third 30-point win this year and the 36th victory of that nature in the Tom McConnell era (since 2013).
>> The Hawks are now 6-0 at home this season. They are 89-9 (.908) at home since the 2014-15 season and 60-6 (.909) against PSAC opponents in Indiana during that same span. 
>> IUP last met each of these teams on the weekend of Dec. 20-21, 2019, winning both - 91-76 at Shepherd and 69-61 at Shippensburg. Mascaro averaged 27.5 PPG and 8.0 RPG in those two wins. 
>> IUP HC Tom McConnell is 3-1 against Shepherd, the only loss coming in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Championships (68-60) at Cal U. McConnell is 6-0 against Shippensburg. 
>> The Shepherd game will be IUP's first game against a ranked opponent since Cal U on 1/18/20 (W 76-61).
>> The Hawks have an 80-10 (.889) regular season record against conference foes since 2016-17. They are 27-0 against PSAC East teams in the regular season during that stretch.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE RAMS
>> Shepherd is 9-0 overall and 3-0 in the PSAC.
>> They are receiving votes in the WBCA Coaches' Poll and ranked No. 20 in the D2SIDA Media Poll.
>> The Rams have the top scoring offense in the PSAC at 74.3 PPG, winning games by an average of 16.6 PPG.
>> Abby Beeman and Marley McLaughlin are both tied for 3rd in the PSAC with 19.2 PPG. 
>> The Rams lead the PSAC and rank 19th in Division II with a 36.5 3FG% (57-156).

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE RAIDERS
>> Shippensburg is 6-3 overall and 2-1 in the PSAC.
>> The Raiders are tied with Shepherd with the top scoring offense in the PSAC at 74.3 PPG. 
>> SU has been playing without 2020 PSAC East Athlete of the Year Ariel Jones (21.0 PPG) since the third game.
>> Destiny Jefferson is averaging 19.1 PPG with five 20-point games this season.

IUP IN THE POLLS
>> The Crimson Hawks moved up to No. 8 in the WBCA Coaches' Poll and No. 6 in the D2SIDA Media Poll.
>> It's the 56th time in the last 57 polls the Hawks have been eligible for that they rank in the top-25, dating back to the 2017-18 preseason poll. 
>> IUP has been ranked in the top-10 in 45 weeks of those 57 possible polls. 

IUP OFF TO ANOTHER UNBEATEN START
>> The Crimson Hawks finished their non-conference schedule in November with a 6-0 record.
>> This is the third time in the last four seasons the Hawks went unbeaten in regular season non-league play.
>> IUP has PSAC crossover wins over Kutztown, West Chester and Millersville to improve to 9-0.
>> The best start in program history was 16 straight wins to open the 1999-00 season. 
>> IUP also opened the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons with 15 straight wins. 

IUP DEFENSE HAS BEEN KEY
>> IUP is 3rd in Division II in points allowed (49.1) and 4th in defensive FG% (.310). 
>> The Hawks have held opponents under 60 points seven times and to 40 or less three times. 
>> IUP has 3+ blocks in a game seven times, including a season-high 9 against UDC back in November.
>> IUP had a season-high 18 steals against Mount Aloysius, the most since 19 against Shippensburg in Dec. '18.

WINNING THE BATTLE OF THE BOARDS
>> The Hawks lead the PSAC and rank 2nd in Division II with a +13.7 rebound margin. 
>> IUP has won the battle of the boards by at least +11 eight times, including +30 (50-20) against Mount Aloysius.
>> IUP's 42.3 rebounds per game is 2nd in the PSAC.
>> Sr. F Maura D'Anna leads the team with 7.4 RPG, Fr. F Gina Adams is 2nd at 6.2 RPG and Jr. F Teirra Preston is 3rd at 5.3.

ALWAYS LOOKING TO HELP
>> IUP leads the PSAC and ranks 42nd in Division II with 16.1 assists per game (145 total)
>> IUP has assisted on 58.7 pct of its 247 made buckets.
>> Six players have double-digit assists, including three with 22+ led by So. G Maria Cerro with 28 (3.1 APG).
>> IUP also leads the PSAC in assist-turnover ratio (1.01-1). 

MASCARO BRINGS CONSISTENCY
>> Sr. G Justina Mascaro is IUP's top scorer at 13.9 PPG and has led the Hawks in scoring four times. 
>> She has eight double-figure scoring games, including a season-high 18 against Millersville.
>> Mascaro is 7th in the PSAC with a 53.8 FG% (49-91) and has shot better than 50 percent six times.
>> She has scored in double-figures 29 times in 39 career games at IUP, including nine 20-point games. 

ALEXANDER LOOKS TO CONTINUE BREAKOUT
>> After averaging 6.5 PPG over the first four games, Sr. G Courtney Alexander has scored double-figures five times and is averaging 18.0 over the last five games.
>> She had back-to-back career-highs - 24 points at Ohio Dominican and 28 points at Kutztown.
>> Alexander is shooting 51.7 pct. (29-56) in the last four games while making 19 3-pointers. 
>> She tied an IUP single game record with 8 threes (8-14) in the Hawks' win at Kutztown.
>> Alexander leads the PSAC and ranks 17th in Division II with 27 3FGs made. She's also tops in the league and 11th in the nation with 3.00 made 3s per game. 

CERRO STEPPING UP IN SECOND SEASON
>> So. G Maria Cerro has proven to be an effective scorer from her point guard position, ranking 3rd in the team with 8.1 PPG through nine games.
>> She averaged 13.3 PPG over a 4-game stretch after scoring 4 combined points in the opening two games.
>> Cerro had a career-high 23 points on 7-12 FGs and 7-9 FTs in the win over the Dist. of Columbia.
>> Cerro also leads the team with 28 assists.

D'ANNA PROVIDES EXPERIENCE IN THE POST
>> Sr. F Maura D'Anna is tied for 4th on the team with 7.2 PPG and has a team-best 7.4 RPG. 
>> She tallied her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds vs. Livingstone.
>> She ranks 5th in the PSAC with 1.56 blocks per game, including a career-high 4 against Virginia State.
 
FRESHMEN GETTING IT DONE
>> After sitting out last season due to the pandemic, Fr. F Gina Adams and Fr. G Kiera Baughman have impressed early in their first seasons.
>> Adams is averaging 7.1 PPG and 6.2 RPG in nine starts.
>> She had her first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds at Ohio Dominican.
>> Kiera Baughman is averaging 14.3 MPG and is IUP's top bench scorer at 8.1 PPG. 
>> The point guard scored a season-high 16 points in the win over Mount Aloysius.