GREENSBURG, Pa. - Despite a good shooting night, the 17th-ranked IUP women's basketball team dropped a 71-59 decision to Seton Hill at the McKenna Center Wednesday night.

The loss was the second in a row for the Crimson Hawks, who are now 10-3 overall and 4-3 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Seton Hill entered as the leader in the PSAC West, winning its eighth straight to improve to 14-4 and 8-1. 

The Hawks shot slightly better than 45 percent from the floor, including 7-of-12 from 3-point range, in the loss. They also outrebounded the Griffins 31-to-25 on the night. But Seton Hill took advantage of 22 called personal fouls on IUP to convert 21-of-25 from the foul line. The Hawks went 6-of-9 at the charity stripe on 10 Seton Hill fouls. 

How it happened
IUP jumped out to an early 12-7 lead after a layup by senior guard Justina Mascaro and took a 17-8 lead after the first 10 minutes when freshman guard Kiera Baughman drilled a 3-pointer at the end of the quarter.

The Griffins made their move in the second quarter, scoring 24 points, including a 15-4 run. IUP responded with back-to-back 3-pointers by Mascaro and sophomore forward Josie Smith, but Seton Hill took a 32-31 lead into halftime. SHU got most of its points at the line, going 12-of-14 in the quarter alone.

Seton Hill took its lead to double-digits at the end of the third quarter and built an 18-point lead at 61-43 early in the fourth. IUP got back into the game with a 14-5 run, with Baughman and new addition Grace Mangapora knocking down treys to make it a 66-57 game with 2:27 to play. It wasn't enough as the Griffins outlasted IUP in the closing minutes.

Who stood out
Getting her second straight start, junior guard Rajah Fink nearly tallied a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds in 35 minutes. She scored 12 points in the second half alone.

Baughman came off the bench to finish with 13 points and three 3-pointers in 25 minutes before fouling out. Mascaro had 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting and senior forward Maura D'Anna grabbed 12 rebounds and had two blocks.

Notes
IUP entered the game ranked No. 17 in the WBCA Coaches Top 25 poll ... This is IUP's first losing streak since dropping three straight during the 2016-17 season, a year in which they won the PSAC tournament and finished 24-7 ... It's the Hawks' first loss in Greensburg since the 2015-16 season ... This was IUP's second straight game playing without senior guard Courtney Alexander, who leads the PSAC and ranks third in Division II with 3.55 3-pointers made per game.

Up next
The Crimson Hawks are on the road again Saturday when they travel to Clarion to face the Golden Eagles (3-12, 2-8 PSAC). Tipoff is 1 p.m.

Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.