INDIANA, Pa. - The IUP women's basketball team had one of its best defensive performances of the season as the Crimson Hawks celebrated Senior Day with a 58-37 win over Pitt-Johnstown Saturday afternoon at the Kovalchick Complex.

IUP rode its smothering defense all afternoon as the Hawks limited UPJ to two points in the second quarter, just a 25.5 shooting percentage for the entire game, and forced the Mountain Cats into 17 turnovers. 

The win gives the Hawks a three-game win streak entering the postseason as they finished the regular season with a 21-7 record. They go into next week's PSAC tournament as the No. 4 seed from the Western Division with a 15-7 conference record. Also a playoff team, UPJ ends the regular season 12-16 overall and 10-12 in the league.

Prior to tipoff, the program recognized the careers of four seniors - Courtney Alexander, Maura D'Anna, Mikayla Lovelace and Justina Mascaro. 

How it happened
After scoring the game's first two buckets, the IUP offense went cold as the Mountain Cats scored 10 of the game's next 12 points to take a 10-7 lead. Mascaro made a driving layup on IUP's final possession of the first quarter but UPJ answered with a 3-pointer as time expired. 

UPJ held a 15-11 lead four minutes into the second quarter when the Hawks exploded for 16 straight points, dominating the remaining minutes of the half. Junior guard Rajah Fink scored 10 points on the run, shooting 3-of-4 from the field with a 3-pointer, to go along with 3-of-4 from the foul line. The Mountain Cats managed just one bucket in the quarter, going scoreless for 6:55, going 0-of-7 from the field with four turnovers during that span. A jumper by Fink in the closing seconds gave IUP a 27-15 lead at the break.

The Hawks held onto their double-figure lead through most of the third, with junior forward Teirra Preston capping a 7-0 run with a layup to put IUP on top by 17 points at 37-20 with 2:35 left in the quarter. IUP continued to build on the lead in the fourth quarter, going up to 20 on an Alexander jumper, and led by as many as 24 points before closing out the win.

Who stood out
Fink finished with a game-high 21 points, going 7-of-9 from the field with a pair of 3-pointers, and 5-of-6 from the foul line in 32 minutes. It was her fourth 20-point game of the season.

Mascaro added 15 points in 29 minutes, going 6-of-11 from the field with three 3-pointers. D'Anna tied a season-high with 12 rebounds.

Notes
IUP entered the game at No. 6 in the NCAA Atlantic Region rankings ... The two points allowed in the second is tied for the lowest total allowed in a quarter in program history (2, Saint Augustine's, Nov. 2015) ... The 37 points allowed is the second lowest given up by IUP this season (Mount Aloysius, 35) ... This was the third straight game IUP has held an opponent under 60 points, including two straight under 50 ... Opponents are shooting just 29.9 percent in the last three games ... IUP head coach Tom McConnell is now 15-2 against Pitt-Johnstown, including 9-0 at home ... Justina Mascaro has 971 career points, including 800 over two seasons (58) at IUP ... The Hawks are 52-12 in PSAC West games since the 2017-18 season, including 28-4 at home ... IUP is 105-16 at home under McConnell, including 57-8 since the 2017-18 season ... IUP is 54-11 in February and March over the last five seasons, including 26-4 at home.

Up next
As the No. 4 divisional seed in the PSAC tournament, the Crimson Hawks will host No. 5 seed Edinboro (13-10, 11-10 PSAC) in Monday's first round. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Kovalchick Complex. 

Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.