INDIANA, Pa. - The IUP women's basketball team held a 6-point lead with 6:20 to play but Cal U went on a run and scored the game's final nine points as the Crimson Hawks fell 64-59 in a Wednesday night rivalry matchup at the Kovalchick Complex. 

The loss was the second of the regular season to the Vulcans, as IUP dropped to 16-6 overall and 10-6 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play. The Vulcans improved to 15-4 and 10-4. 

How it happened
The Crimson Hawks used back-to-back 3-pointers by senior guards Courtney Alexander and Justina Mascaro to take an early 8-2 lead. Six first quarter turnovers limited the offensive output, however, with IUP going into the second quarter on top 12-11 despite a poor shooting effort by the Vulcans (4-of-19). 

The IUP shooting caught fire in the second quarter as the Hawks converted 8-of-10 from the field and 5-of-6 at the foul line. Sophomore guard Maria Cerro provided energy off the bench with back-to-back layups, helping IUP take a 25-15 lead with six minutes left before half. The Vulcans responded by making four of their next six shots and connected on 4-of-4 at the line to tie the game at 27-27 over three minutes later. IUP did regain the lead and used a pair from the charity stripe by Cerro at the end of the quarter to take a 34-31 lead into the half. 

Holding on to a 1-point lead in the third, the Hawks went on a 9-2 run with a 3-pointer by Alexander giving them a 48-40 lead with four minutes left in the frame. Junior forward Teirra Preston followed with layups on consecutive possessions as IUP took a 52-49 lead into the final quarter. 

Both teams combined to miss the first 12 shots from the field in the fourth quarter as the score remained the same until Mascaro knocked down a 3-pointer at the 6:20 mark to put the Hawks on top by six. IUP later led by five when junior guard Rajah Fink converted in the lane but Cal U responded with a quick 3-pointer to make it a 57-55 game with 4:05 to play. Fink scored a minute later to get the lead back to four, but the Hawks could not convert on their final six possessions while the Vulcans went 3-of-4 from the field and sunk a pair of free throws to get the win. 

The Hawks shot 61.9 percent (13-of-21) from the field in the first half but went just 3-of-18 in the final quarter. IUP forced the Vulcans to shoot just 33.3 percent (23-of-69) and won the battle on the glass 37-to-34, but turned the ball over 17 times which led to 14 Cal U points.

Who stood out
Mascaro scored a team-best 15 points, going 6-of-8 from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. She also had six rebounds and a steal in 38 minutes. Fink added 14 points and six rebounds while Alexander had 10 points. 

Notes
IUP is 7-14 against the Vulcans since the 2013-14 season - 3-13 in the regular season, 4-1 in the postseason ... Cal U committed just six turnovers, the lowest by an IUP opponent this season ...  In the regular season series with the Vulcans, IUP combined to shoot 9-of-16 at the foul line while Cal U went 22-of-28. 

Up next
The Hawks head into their final six games of the regular season and face a big road test this Saturday at Gannon (18-4, 13-4 PSAC). Tipoff is 1 p.m. at the Hammermill Center.

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