MANSFIELD, Pa. – The IUP women's basketball team began PSAC crossover play with an 82-72 win against a scrappy Mansfield squad on Friday night.
It was the fifth consecutive victory for IUP, which improves to 5-0 on the young season. IUP collected its 12th consecutive win against Mansfield (1-2), pushing its lead in the all-time series to 18-1. The Hawks benefited from another balanced offensive output, placing all five starters in double figures.
Despite going scoreless for nearly four minutes late in the fourth quarter, IUP did enough at the foul line over the final 30 seconds to preserve the win. Mansfield trimmed a 19-point deficit to within seven, but could not close out the comeback in a valiant effort.
Kiera Baughman tied a game-high 19 points for IUP, adding two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Alana Cardona added 17 points and five rebounds, with
Maria Cerro adding 14 points and a career-high nine assists.
Teirra Preston posted 13 points and eight boards, with
Gina Adams rounding out a consistent effort with 12 points.
The Hawks shot 51.7% from the floor, making eight triples on the night. IUP used a decisive 22-10 second quarter to build a large enough lead to withstand the Mansfield rally, part of a big fist half. IUP held a 40-28 edge in paint points and collected 12 steals on the night, including five from Cerro in an outstanding outing.
IUP opened the game with an 8-0 run that included a pair of buckets for Cardona. IUP reeled off a 13-5 run later in the opening stanza, jumping ahead 24-13 as Preston capped the surge with a layup from
Josie Smith.
Jasmine Hilton posted 19 points for Mansfield, picking ups even rebounds with four steals. Madison Fox (16) and Alivia Paglow (15) were also in double digits for the resilient Mountaineers.
The Crimson Hawks continued outpacing Mansfield in the second, opening the frame with a 13-4 scoring run. Baughman and Adams stepped beyond the arc for consecutive triples before Adams finished through contact, making the and-one free throw for a 38-22 advantage with 5:29 left in the opening half.
Cerro dished out her sixth assist of the evening as the Crimson Hawks continued shooting well from distance.
Anna Kadlubek nailed a three for a 45-26 advantage, which swelled to 52-30 in the third quarter.
Fox looked to bring Mansfield back within striking distance with a three-point basket, part of a quick 7-2 edge. The Mountaineers forced an IUP shot clock violation and later chipped the deficit to 13 with a coast-to-coast layup from Fox.
The Hawks countered with a slick finish underneath from Preston with about one minute left in the third. Off a miss, Cardona buried a triple from the left wing, stretching the IUP advantage back to a more comfortable margin at 63-46. It was all part of a 7-0 run over the final 1:47 of the frame as Cerro drove inside to beat the third quarter buzzer and hand IUP a 65-46 edge.
In transition, Cerro laid a looping pass ahead for a key bucket from Preston at the 6:43 mark of the fourth. Mansfield slowly chipped away with a 14-0 push, brining its deficit back to single digits at 77-70 with a run that spanned nearly four minutes.
Baughman converted five times at the foul line over the final 30 seconds, providing IUP with some breathing room late. Despite the Mansfield rally, IUP led for 39:51 of the contest.
Up Next
IUP hits the court again tomorrow, facing Bloomsburg on Saturday, December 2 for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.
