INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP women's basketball team, now ranked 14th in the D2SIDA poll, returns to the court for the first time in over a week on Sunday, December 11 for a nonconference clash with Goldey-Beacom. Tipoff from the KCAC is set for 2:00 p.m. and marks the nonconference finale for the 2022-23 season.
IUP opened Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play with a pair of road crossover victories, coming last weekend at Mansfield and Bloomsburg. IUP rode its starting lineup, keeping its record unblemished at 6-0 with
Alana Cardona picking up PSAC West Athlete of the Week accolades.
Goldey-Beacom (3-5) recorded its first conference victory of 2022-23, an 84-71 home triumph against Georgian Court on December 6. The Lightning are members of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC), picked fifth in the league's preseason poll.
GAME INFORMATION – GOLDEY-BEACOM
AROUND THE LEAGUE
- PSAC Composite Schedule: Here
- 2022-23 Stats: Here
- 2022-23 Standings: Here
TIPOFF NOTES
- After completing final exams and the fall 2022 semester, the IUP basketball team hits the court for the first time in over a week on Sunday.
- A victory against Goldey-Beacom would secure the fourth unbeaten stretch in nonconference action over the last five seasons.
- IUP remained unranked in the WBCA poll, moving from unranked to 14th in the D2SIDA listing. In the Atlantic Region, IUP moved from the number five spot last week to first on December 6.
- The Hawks have beaten Goldey-Beacom in both prior meetings. IUP posted a 75-59 win in the last meeting against the Lightning, coming on November 12, 2011. Four players scored in double figures in the season-opening win, with Sarah Pastorek notching 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the triumph.
- Four of the five IUP starters played an average of 38 minutes or more during the PSAC crossover road weekend victories against Bloomsburg and Mansfield. All five starters averaged double figures for IUP in the victories, marking the seventh consecutive sweep of PSAC East-West crossover weekend.
- Cardona was one of several standout performers for IUP over the last three games, earning the first weekly conference honor of her career. She averaged 17.3 points and 8.3 rebounds during the stretch, adding five assists, four steals and three blocks, all while shooting an efficient 55.9% from the floor and 41.7% from three.
- IUP continues to set the tone on the defensive side of the ball, ranking fourth in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.315) and sixth in scoring defense (51.8).
- Kiera Baughman stepped up during the opening weekend of conference play, averaging 21.5 points with four steals and four assists. Maria Cerro was also active on both ends of the floor, picking up a team-high 13 assists and eight steals over the back-to-back victories last weekend.
- Teirra Preston continues to average a double-double for IUP with 10. Points and 11.7 rebounds. She ranks second in the PSAC in rebounding average and field goal percentage (.600).
- IUP has gone 15-2 in games played on Sunday over the last five playing seasons, dating back to 2016-17 and including postseason play. The Hawks won four of five games played on Sunday last season.
SCOUTING GOLDEY-BEACOM
- 2022-23 Overview | Overall: 3-5 | CACC: 1-1 | Home: 2-3 | Away: 0-1 | Neutral: 1-1
- Mickey Williams poured in a career-best 25 points and seven three-pointers for Goldey-Beacom, which dominated the first three quarters and was on its way to an 84-71 CACC victory over Georgian Court on December 6.
- Alanna Speaks leads the team in scoring average (10.6) and rebounding average (5.4) through eight games, also ranking fourth in the CACC with 22 steals on the season.
- Janiya Stevens has 11 blocks in eight games off the bench for the Lightning, who are scoring just 67.8 points/game.
- Bethann Burke is closing in on 100 career victories at Goldey-Beacom, just three victories shy of the milestone. Burke scored over 1,000 points as a student-athlete at Chestnut Hill College, later joining the coaching staff at Holy Family.
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 (.315) and scoring defense (51.8).
- 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 steals per contest and forcing just over 20 turnovers per game.
ANOTHER UNBEATEN START FOR HAWKS
- With just one nonconference matchup to go, IUP is a perfect 4-0 in the nonconference slate, while going 2-0 in PSAC crossover play.
- A win against Goldey-Beacom on would push the IUP record to 5-0 in the nonconference slate, which would mark the fourth time in the least five seasons IUP went perfect in non-league play in the regular season.
- IUP began the year with 16 consecutive victories at the onset of the 1999-2000 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 six 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 second on the team in scoring (13.2) and rebounding (7.5), all while shooting 48.4% from the floor.
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 (16.2) and ranks 11th in the league in assists/game (3.3).
- 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 18 through just six games in 2022-23, ranking second in the PSAC.
- A consistent shooter in all areas, Baughman is also 37-for-40 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 third in the PSAC.
- The Hawks are 11th in the nation in defensive rebounds/game (30.8) and rebounding margin (+9.0), 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 is third on the team in scoring (12.8) as a speedy guard.
- Cerro ranks sixth in the PSAC in FG percentage at 51.7%.
- She is first on the team with an average of 33.0 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.
EVERYBODY EATS
- All 12 players currently on the active roster have seen playing time in 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 54% of its made field goals with six players posting five assists or more this season.
- Nine of 12 players have registered a steal through the opening six 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.
