INDIANA, Pa. – IUP women's basketball, which jumped to 11 in the latest D2SIDA rankings, continues PSAC crossover play with consecutive home matchups against Kutztown (December 18) and West Chester (December 19). Tipoffs are set for 2:00 p.m. on December 18 and 5:30 p.m. on December 19 at the KCAC.
IUP (7-0, 2-0) held on for a 77-65 victory in a turnover-plagued nonconference finale last time out on December 11. Kutztown (4-4, 2-0) emerged with its third consecutive victory earlier in the week against Holy Family, while West Chester (5-3, 2-0) also closed out the nonconference slate with a win last time out.
GAME INFORMATION – KUTZTOWN
GAME INFORMATION – WEST CHESTER
AROUND THE LEAGUE
- PSAC Composite Schedule: Here
- 2022-23 Stats: Here
- 2022-23 Standings: Here
TIPOFF NOTES
- IUP closed out the nonconference slate undefeated for the fourth time in five seasons following last weekend's victory against Goldey-Beacom at the KCAC.
- The Crimson Hawks have had success against both Kutztown and West Chester traditionally. IUP is 6-1 against Kutztown since 2011, including a 72-57 win over the Golden Bears in the 2019 PSAC Championship at KU.
- IUP has gone 7-2 against the Rams since the 2011-12 season, winning each of the last four meetings.
- Maria Cerro is third in the PSAC in field goal percentage (.535), coming into the game after one of her best outings of the season against the Lightning. Ranking second on the team in scoring average (13.9), Cerro leads the team with 39 assists and in minutes played.
- Despite IUP's high ranking in the D2SIDA poll, the Crimson Hawks were unranked in the WBCA Top 25.
- IUP ranks 12th in NCAA DII in scoring defense at 53.7 points/game, allowing opponents to convert at 33.3%, seventh in DII. The Crimson hawks also lead the PSAC in rebounding margin (+9.1), outrebounding their opponents in all five nonconference contests.
- The win over Goldey-Beacom pushed IUP's record to 16-2 in gamed played on Sunday over the last five seasons, dating back to 2016-17. A pair of wins in crossover action would push IUP to a 9-0 mark, which would match the team's winning streak at the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
- The IUP starting five of Cerro, Kiera Baughman, Alana Cardona, Teirra Preston and Gina Adams have accounted for over 60% of the team's scoring output this season. All five starters average 30 minutes or more per contest through seven games.
- Despite the strong start, IUP has been sloppy with the basketball in stretches. The Crimson Hawks have committed at least 18 turnovers in six of seven games, including 29 against Goldey-Beacom.
SCOUTING KUTZTOWN
- Kutztown battled back in the fourth quarter for a 57-52 victory against Holy Family in the conference finale. The win pushed the Golden Bears back to .500, using a big push in the final stanza while erasing a seven-point deficit.
- The Golden Bears lead the PSAC and rank sixth nationally in blocks/game (6.4). Casey Remolde (15) Sydney Pierson (10) have collected double digit blocks this season with Remolde leading the conference in blocked shots.
- Remolde logged a game-high 15 points against Holy Family and leads the team in rebounding average (5.4) this season.
- Sunday's action against the Crimson Hawks is the first outing for Kutztown in 11 days.
- Head coach Janet Malouf in in her 28th season behind the bench at Kutztown in 2022-23 as the program's all-time winningest coach. The Golden Bears have been among the most consistent programs in the PSAC East, advancing to the postseason in 11 of the last 13 seasons.
- Abby Hearn (11.9) is one of three players averaging double digits for Kutztown, logging 21 points in the opener against Bowie State on November 11.
SCOUTING WEST CHESTER
- West Chester presents a potent offensive challenge, leading the PSAC and ranking 13th nationally in scoring offense (79.8). Emily McAteer leads the charge with 16.9 points/game as one of four Golden Rams to average double digits.
- WCU steamrolled Wilmington with a wire-to-wire 97-46 nonconference triumph on December 11. McAteer poured in a career-high 25 points (9-12 FG) in what amounted to the largest margin of victory during the tenure of head coach Kiera Wooden.
- While the Golden Rams have no shortage of scoring options, three players also average at least 8.1 rebounds per contest.
- Leah Johnson ranks second in the nation with 7.5 assists/game, handing out 10 or more in two contests this season. Also a member of the WCU starting rotation, Michelle Kozicki averages nearly 50% shooting from the floor with 14.1 points/game.
- Two of West Chester's three losses came in the opening weekend of the season to up-tempo MEC opponents Glenville State and West Virginia State, which each boast a similarly unique style of play.
IUP DEFENSE HAS BEEN LOCKDOWN
- While facing some poor-shooting opponents, IUP has been aggressive on the defensive end of the floor, ranking top 10 nationally in field goal percentage defense (.333) and scoring defense (53.7).
- The Hawks have held opponents to single digits in a quarter four times, with three coming in a blowout win against Rosemont.
- The Hawks are also averaging 10.9 steals per contest and forcing 21.1 turnovers per game.
- The Crimson Hawks have held six opponents under 70 points and three under 60.
ANOTHER UNBEATEN START FOR HAWKS
- IUP went 5-0 in the nonconference slate, marking the fourth unbeaten non-league start to the season over the last five years.
- IUP began the year with a program record 16 consecutive victories at the onset of the 1999-2000 season. More recently, IUP opened the season at 15-0 in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
- The Hawks are just two wins shy of matching last year's 9-0 start to the season.
CARDONA CONTINUES HITTING HER STRIDE
- Gaining valuable minutes throughout her career off the bench, Alana Cardona has stepped into the starting lineup and has emerged as a driving force for the Hawks on both sides of the ball.
- She enjoyed a career night with a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds against Ohio Dominican on November 23. It marked the first 20-point outing of Cardona's career, who has started all seven games this season.
- She was named PSAC West Athlete of the Week on December 6, her first weekly honor from the league. Cardona has logged two double-doubles over the past three outings, playing 39 of 40 minutes last time out against Bloomsburg.
- Cardona is third on the team in scoring (13.6) and second in rebounding (7.7), all while shooting 51.5% from the floor. She is averaging 17 points and 8.5 rebounds over the last four games, adding seven steals.
BAUGHMAN SETS THE TONE
- Kiera Baughman continues to step up as a second-year contributor for the Hawks. She averaged 21.5 points/game in a pair of conference victories, including a career-high 24 points against Bloomsburg on December 3.
- Baughman leads the team in scoring average (15.9) and ranks fifth in the league in assists/game (5.1).
- Making 11 starts in her debut campaign, Baughman has taken the next step in her development this season. She collected 28 steals in 30 games last year and has 21 through just seven games in 2022-23, ranking third in the PSAC.
- A consistent shooter in all areas, Baughman is also 43-for-48 (.896) at the foul line heading into Sunday's matchup.
REBOUNDING CONTINUES TO BE A STRENGTH
- With one of the top rebounders in the region, Teirra Preston has helped the Crimson Hawks become a stout rebounding squad once again in 2022-23, ranking fourth in the PSAC.
- Preston is fourth in the PSAC in rebounding average (9.9), grabbing eight or more in five games this season.
- The Hawks are 17th in the nation in defensive rebounds/game (30.3) and second in the PSAC with a +9.1 rebounding margin, tying into the strong defensive effort.
- Last season, IUP finished the campaign leading the PSAC and ranking 14th nationally with a rebounding margin of +8.0.
CERRO CONTINUES IMPROVING
- Maria Cerro has jumped to second on the team in scoring average (13.9) as a speedy guard.
- Cerro ranks third in the PSAC in FG percentage at 53.5%.
- She is first on the team with an average of 33.4 minutes as part of the IUP starting lineup, playing 36 minutes or more in each game aside from the blowout win against Rosemont.
- Cerro dropped in 14 points and handed out nine assists in a victory against Mansfield on December 2nd. She continues her torrid offensive stretch with 20 points (7-11 FG) with four rebounds and seven assists in a victory against Goldey-Beacom.
EVERYBODY EATS
- All 12 players currently on the active roster have seen playing time in at least four games this season.
- Every player has scored for the Crimson Hawks this season with five players reaching double figures in the win against Ohio Dominican ad Mansfield.
- As a team, IUP is assisting on 55.8% of its made field goals with seven players posting five assists or more this season.
- Nine of 12 players have registered a steal through the opening seven games.
DECADE OF DOMINACE IN INDIANA
- From 2010-2020, IUP led the PSAC with 241 overall wins and 165 conference wins.
- IUP won four PSAC west regular season titles, two PSAC tournament championships, also making four PSAC title game appearances with 10 PSAC tournament berths during that span.
- The Crimson Hawks have seen NCAA excellence in the 2010s with eight NCAA tournament berths, two Atlantic region titles, two national semifinal game appearances, earning the top seed in the Atlantic Region in 2019-20.
- The Hawks' .793-win percentage marked the eighth best in Division II during that span.
