INDIANA, Pa. - The No. 17 IUP women's basketball team (10-3, 4-3 PSAC) faces two road games over a three-day stretch as they head to Clarion (3-12, 2-8 PSAC) Saturday and Pitt-Johnstown (6-9, 4-5 PSAC) Monday. The Crimson Hawks are looking to get back on track after two straight losses to No. 15 Gannon and at Seton Hill. Clarion has is coming off a 71-47 loss to Cal U and Pitt-Johnstown enters this weekend having won two straight. 

TIPOFF NOTES
>> The Crimson Hawks shot well, but committed 20 turnovers and were called for 22 personal fouls in a 71-59 to division-leading Seton Hill Wednesday in Greensburg.
>> The Griffins made 21-25 from the foul line while the Hawks went 6-9. 
>> Jr. G Rajah Fink nearly had a double-double with 14 points and 9 rebounds in her second career start.
>> Fr. G Kiera Baughman came off the bench to record 13 points. It was her seventh double-figure scoring game of the season and her fifth in the last six games. 
>> This is the first two-game losing streak for the Crimson Hawks since the 2016-17 season. 
>> Sr. G Courtney Alexander is expected to miss her third straight game after getting injured in the win over Shippensburg on Dec. 19. She scored a career-high 31 points with a program-record 9 3FGs against the Raiders.
>> IUP HC Tom McConnell is 13-1 lifetime against Clarion, the only loss coming at Tippin (64-59) in January 2017. IUP has won seven straight against the Golden Eagles by an average of 26.0 points.
>> McConnell is 14-1 against Pitt-Johnstown, winning nine straight dating back to the 2015-16 season. 
>> The Hawks are 3-1 on the road this season, including wins at Kutztown (68-53) and West Chester (64-62).
>> IUP is 25-3 on the road since the 2018-19 season, including 22-3 in road conference games. 
>> The Hawks are 42-9 in PSAC West games since the 2017-18 season. That record includes a 22-3 mark at home and a 20-5 record away. IUP is 0-2 against divisional teams this year.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE GOLDEN EAGLES
>> Clarion is 3-12 overall and last in the PSAC West standings with a 2-8 conference record.
>> The Golden Eagles are 1-6 at home with their only win coming against PSU-Shenango (102-57) on Nov. 22. 
>> CU is last in the PSAC allowing 71.1 points and a 42.0 field goal percentage.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN CATS
>> Pitt-Johnstown is 6-9 overall and 7th in the PSAC West standings with a 4-5 conference record.
>> UPJ has won two straight - 70-59 over Edinboro and 59-47 over Mansfield.
>> UPJ lost to Clarion 81-75 on Jan. 15. 

IUP IN THE POLLS
>> The Crimson Hawks fell five spots to No. 17 in this week's WBCA Coaches' Top 25.
>> IUP's highest ranks this season were No. 8 by the coaches and No. 6 by the media. 
>> The Hawks have been ranked in the top-25 of either poll for 60 of the last 61 weeks they have been eligible dating back to the 2017-18 preseason. 
>> IUP has been ranked in the top-10 in 45 of those possible 61 polls. 
>> The Hawks spent 14 straight weeks in the top-5 during the 2018-19 season, including a 3-week run at No. 1. 

IUP OPENED SEASON WITH 9 STRAIGHT WINS
>> The Crimson Hawks won their first 9 games of the season, going 6-0 against non-conference opponents.
>> It was the third time in the last four seasons the Hawks went unbeaten in regular season non-league play.
>> They had a +22.6 scoring margin in those 9 wins. 
>> It was the fourth longest win streak to start a season under HC Tom McConnell (15 twice, 13 once).
>> The best start in program history was 16 straight wins to open the 1999-00 season. 

EVERYONE CONTRIBUTES
>> All 15 players on the roster have played multiple games this season.
>> 10 Hawks have played in at least 12 of the 13 games and average more than 8.0 minutes per game.
>> Six players average more than 6.0 points for the PSAC's 3rd-ranked scoring offense. Two are in double-figures.
>> Seven different players have led the Crimson Hawks in scoring this season.
>> Eight players have scored in double-figures at least once this season.

IUP DEFENSE HAS BEEN KEY
>> The Crimson Hawks are 2nd in the PSAC and rank 10th in Division II with 52.8 points allowed this season.
>> They have held opponents to 60 or fewer points nine times in 13 games, including three times under 40. 
>> IUP gave up a season-low 35 points to Mount Aloysius on Nov. 17. The Hawks also allowed 38 points to Livingstone and 40 points to Millersville.
>> The Hawks are 2nd in the PSAC and rank 10th in Division II in defensive field goal percentage (.334). 
>> Six times IUP has forced an opponent to shoot less than 30 percent, with UDC shooting a season-low 24.4 pct. on Nov. 21. 
>> The Hawks are 5th in the PSAC with 9.1 steals per game. They've had double-digit steals four times, including a season-high 18 against Mount Aloysius. 

WINNING THE BATTLE OF THE BOARDS
>> The Hawks lead the PSAC and rank 11th in Division II with +9.9 rebound margin.
>> They've won the battle of the boards 11 times in their 13 games, including five times in seven PSAC games.
>> IUP's 39.2 rebounds per game is 5th in the PSAC.
>> Five players have led IUP in rebounding this year.
>> Sr. F Maura D'Anna has a team-high 7.0 RPG and Sr. G Justina Mascaro averages 5.4 RPG. 

ALWAYS LOOKING TO HELP
>> IUP leads the PSAC and ranks 34th in Division II with 15.8 assists per game - 205 in 13 games.
>> IUP has assisted on 59.4 pct of its 345 made buckets.
>> The Hawks have dished out double-digit assists in all 13 games this year, including three games of 20+.
>> They dished out a season-high 25 assists in the win over Mount Aloysius and 21 against Shippensburg.
>> Seven players have double-digit assists, including five with 20 or more assists. 
>> So. G Maria Cerro has led IUP in assists eight times in 13 games and has a team-best 47 dimes - 3.6 APG. 
>> IUP is 2nd in the PSAC in assist-turnover ratio (0.99-1). 

KNOCKING THEM DOWN
>> IUP is 2nd in the PSAC and 22nd in Division II in field goal percentage at 45.3 pct. (345-762). 
>> The Hawks have knocked down half their shots in a game three times, including a season-best 53.4 pct. (31-58) at Ohio Dominican.
>> IUP is 9-0 this year when shooting better from the field than its opponent. 1-3 when shooting worse.
>> Four regular Hawks are converting at least half their shots this year - Sr. G Justina Mascaro at 53.9 pct. (76-141), Jr. G Mikayla Lovelace at 52.2 pct. (12-23), Sr. F Maura D'Anna at 51.9 pct. (42-81) and Jr. F Teirra Preston at 50.0 pct. (18-36). 

FROM WAY DOWN TOWN
>> The Hawks are averaging 7.7 3-pointers made over their last eight games.
>> They had a season-high 12 3FGs made in the win over Shippensburg and made 8 against Gannon.
>> Sr. G Courtney Alexander has been the main source of that run, hitting 31 treys over her last six games. She set an IUP single-game record with 9 against Shippensburg.
>> Traditionally one of the top 3-point teams in Division II, IUP made 37.7 pct. in 2019-20 and 38.0 pct. in 2018-19.

 A NEW ADDITION IN 2022
>> On Jan. 4 it was announced that Grace Mangapora would join the team for the rest of the season. She made her debut against Gannon.
>> Mangapora just finished her sophomore season on the IUP women's volleyball team where she started 10 matches this fall.
>> She was a 4-year starter and 1,000-point scorer at Canfield (Ohio) HS.
>> Mangapora was a Division I All-Ohio selection as a senior, leading Canfield in scoring (16.4), rebounding and assists. 

ALEXANDER LOOKS TO CONTINUE BREAKOUT
>> Sr. G Courtney Alexander is 2nd on the team with 14.4 PPG, and has team-highs with 35.8 3FG% and 39 3FGs made.
>> She set an IUP single game record with 9 3-pointers in the win over Shippensburg on Dec. 19.
>> Alexander tied the previous record of 8 in the win over Kuztown on Dec. 3. 
>> Her 3.55 made 3FGs per game leads the PSAC and ranks 3rd in Division II.
>> She's scored in double-figures in seven straight games, averaging 18.9 PPG, after averaging 6.5 PPG in the first four games of the season.
>> Alexander has three 20-point games, including a career-high 31 points against Shippensburg.
>> Her 19.6 PPG in PSAC games ranks 3rd in the league.
>> Alexander is also shooting 46.4 pct. (26-56) from 3-point range against conference opponents.
>> She is 10th in IUP history with 135 career 3-pointers made (Eryn Withers, 9th, 141). 
>> Alexander has a 3.38 (27-8) assist-turnover ratio this year, including 6-1 over the last three games. 

MASCARO BRINGS CONSISTENCY
>> Sr. G Justina Mascaro leads the Crimson Hawks in scoring (14.5 PPG) and is 2nd in rebounding (5.4 RPG) and assists (29). 
>> She's led IUP in scoring six times and has reached double-figures 12 times in 13 games.
>> Mascaro hit season-highs of 24 points, 10 made FGs and 4 made 3FGs against Gannon on Jan. 16.
>> Mascaro ranks 4th in the PSAC with a 53.9 FG%.
>> She's shot at least 50.0 pct. in a game nine times in 13 games, including games of 6-7 (.857) against Millersville and 5-6 (.833) against Shippensburg.
>> Mascaro has scored in double-figures 33 times in 43 career games at IUP, including 10 20-point games.

CERRO STEPPING UP IN SECOND SEASON
>> So. G Maria Cerro is 5th on the team with 6.6 PPG.
>> She has three double-figure scoring games, including a career-high 23 points against UDC on Nov. 21.
>> She averaged 13.3 PPG over a 4-game stretch earlier in the season.
>> Cerro leads the PSAC with a 1.9 assist-turnover (47-25) ratio, including a 2.7-1 clip (30-10) over the last seven games.
>> She had a season-high 7 assists against Shepherd and has two 6-assist games.

D'ANNA PROVIDES EXPERIENCE IN THE POST
>> Sr. F Maura D'Anna is 4th on the team with 7.0 PPG and has a team-best 7.0 RPG. 
>> She has four double-figure scoring games including a season-high 14 points against Virginia State.
>> D'Anna posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards against Livingstone.
>> She's converted at least half her shots in 7 of her 13 games, including 7-8 against Virginia State.
>> Her 1.4 blocks per game is 6th in the PSAC, getting a career-high 4 blocks against Virginia State.

ADAMS A STARTER IN FIRST SEASON
>> Fr. F Gina Adams as started all 13 games for the Crimson Hawks this season.
>> She's averaging 6.0 PPG and has a season-high 14 points in the win at Ohio Dominican on Nov. 28.
>> Adams is 3rd on the team in rebounding a 5.1 RPG. She had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds at Ohio Dominican.
>> She's shooting 45.1 pct. (32-71) from the field and has coverted at least half her shots in seven games.
>> Adams came to IUP in 2020 but the team did not play due to COVID-19. 
>> She was a Division I All-Ohio selection at Westlake HS where she averaged 15.8 PPG as a senior.

KB PROVIDES SCORING OFF THE BENCH
>> Fr. G Kiera Baughman is 3rd on the team in scoring at 8.9 PPG in 15.9 minutes off the bench. 
>> She's averaging 22.4 points per 40 minutes of action.
>> Baughman has seven double-figure scoring games, including a season-high 16 points against Mount Aloysius.
>> She is averaging 11.0 PPG over the last six games, scoring 15 points in the win over Shippensburg.
>> Baughman came to IUP in 2020 but the team did not play due to COVID-19. 
>> She was a 5A All-Pennsylvania selection at Donegal HS where she averaged 23.7 PPG as a senior.

FINK IN THE LINEUP
>> Jr. G Rajah Fink has started each of the last two games with Sr. G Courtney Alexander sidelined due to injury. 
>> Fink posted season-highs of 14 points and 9 rebounds at Seton Hill, her second start.
>> She has three double-figure scoring games this year, going for 12 points against Mount Aloysius and West Chester.