CALIFORNIA, Pa. - A strong second half by Cal U was too much for the No. 21 IUP women's basketball team as the Crimson Hawks fell to their rivals 62-46 Monday night at the Convocation Center. 

After trailing at the half, IUP tied the game at 34-34 near the midway point of the third quarter, but the Vulcans responded with a big run that lasted into the fourth to come away with the victory.

IUP senior guard Justina Mascaro led all scorers with 20 points, the only Hawk to reach double-figures. She had her best shooting night of the season, going 8-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-4 from 3-point range.

The Hawks fell to 13-5 overall and remained in fourth place in the PSAC West standings with a 7-5 conference record. The Vulcans improved to 12-3 and 7-3 in the league.

How it happened
It was a back-and-forth high-scoring opening quarter Monday night that saw both teams combined to shoot 15-of-32 from the floor. The Hawks shot 53 percent overall and were hot from deep, h itting on 5-of-6 from 3-point range to take a 21-17 lead after 10 minutes. IUP hit triples on four of five possessions, with Mascaro drilling two while freshman forward Gina Adams and junior guard Rajah Fink each added another.

Mascaro went a perfect 3-of-3 from the floor in the first quarter for eight points. 

It was a different story for the Hawks in the second as they converted just 2-of-10 from the field and were outscored 14-6. With the game tied, Cal U scored six straight points to grab the biggest lead by either team to that point before going into the break up 31-27.

IUP back to tie the game at 34-all with a jumper by freshman guard Kiera Baughman, but the Vulcans preceded to score 15 straight points over the next 6:35, taking a 49-34 lead early in the fourth quarter. IUP missed on eight straight shots and turned the ball over four times on the Cal U run. The Vulcans then salted away the victory the rest of the way. 

Despite being outscored in the second half, IUP still limited the Vulcans to just 30 percent (9-of-30) shooting over the final 20 minutes. Cal U owned the boards down the stretch, however, 25-to-12, and went 11-of-12 at the foul line.

Notes
IUP entered the game ranked No. 21 in the WBCA Coaches Top 25 poll ... IUP head coach Tom McConnell fell to 7-13 all-time against the Vulcans, including 0-9 in California ... IUP had its worst rebounding performance of the season with Cal U owning a +15 (43-28) on the glass ... The Vulcans also held an advantage at the foul line, going 12-of-13 compared to 3-of-8 for the Hawks ... Monday marked the return of senior guard Courtney Alexander, who missed six straight games due to injury. 

Up next
The Hawks look to get back on track Wednesday as they travel to Lock Haven to face the Bald Eagles (8-10, 5-9 PSAC). Originally scheduled for January 8, the game was postponed due to COVID protocols and was just recently rescheduled by the PSAC league office for Feb. 2. 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.