INDIANA, Pa. – IUP women's basketball ran its winning streak to four games at the onset of the 2022-23 season with a wire-to-wire 79-61 victory against a pesky Ohio Dominican squad on Thanksgiving Eve at the KCAC.
 
IUP (4-0) placed five players in double figures and had a pair of double-double performances. Alana Cardona dropped in 16 points (8-13 FG) with 10 rebounds, adding two assists and one block. Cardona notched 12 of her 16 points in the second half, helping the Crimson Hawks to a 42-28 rebounding edge.
 
Teirra Preston recorded second double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. It was part of a balanced evening for the homestanding Hawks as Kiera Baughman finished with 16 points and seven steals. Gina Adams and Maria Cerro finished with 14 points each with Adams pulling down eight rebounds on the night.
 
Gabby Stare poured in 37 points for Ohio Dominican (2-3), marking her second 30-point effort this week and third of the season for the Panthers. Stare went 14-of-20 from the floor, canning five three-point baskets and accounting for over 60% of the total offensive output for ODU.
 
Stare posted 21 of her 37 points before halftime for an ODU squad that could not close the gap despite a late push in the fourth. IUP shot 45.2% from the floor as a team and made a season-high eight triples, nearly matching their season total (9) entering the contest.
 
Despite the victory, IUP had trouble getting out of its own way at times with some sloppy play and missed defensive assignments. The Hawks battled past 18 turnovers and forced 21 turnovers from ODU, collecting 13 steals on the night.
 
Consecutive triples from Adams and Baughman helped IUP to a quick 12-2 lead just under three minutes into the contest. The Panthers began to close the gap before IUP stretched its lead back to 11 off a steal from Adams and go-ahead bucket from Cerro with under 20 seconds in the first quarter.
 
IUP held a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest, pulling ahead by as many as 28 at the end of the third quarter. In the second, Baughman laid a pass ahead to Cardona for a transition basket, handing the Hawks a 33-19 advantage before Stare brought the Panthers to within 10 at the intermission.
 
IUP utilized a 9-2 surge in the third quarter to balloon its edge back to 17. Later in the frame, Cardona scored on consecutive stickbacks for a 50-30 lead around the midway mark of the third. IUP posted the final eight points of the third quarter, keeping Ohio Dominican scoreless over the final 3:06 of the stanza.
 
IUP remained in control in the fourth with ODU trimming its deficit to 17 with about two minutes remaining.
 
Four players had a pair of three-point field goals on the night for IUP, which wrapped up a season-opening homestand with a perfect mark.
 
Up Next
IUP opens crossover play with a trip across the state for consecutive matchups against Mansfield (December 2) and Bloomsburg (December 3).
 
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB. 
 

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