INDIANA, Pa. – IUP women's basketball will look to respond from its first setback of the season, visiting Gannon for a tough road matchup in Erie at the Highmark Events Center. Tipoff between the top two teams in the PSAC West standings is slated for 5:30 p.m.
IUP (11-1, 6-1) placed five scorers in double figures but could not overcome a slow start in a 79-71 defeat to Mercyhurst last time out. The Hawks dropped out of the D2SIDA rankings following the loss, now just outside the top 25 while receiving votes.
Gannon (13-2, 5-2) has rattled off seven consecutive victories entering the midweek clash, most recently a 67-48 triumph against Pitt-Johnstown. The Knights are 17th in the latest D2SIDA rankings.
GAME INFORMATION – GANNON
AROUND THE LEAGUE
- PSAC Composite Schedule: Here
- 2022-23 Stats: Here
- 2022-23 Standings: Here
TIPOFF NOTES
- IUP had a 14-game regular season winning streak snapped with its latest defeat to Mercyhurst.
- The Hawks are 54-13 in PSAC West games since the 2017-18 season.
- IUP trailed by as many as 12 points against the Lakers, trimming its deficit to three (45-42) in the third quarter. Maria Cerro led IUP with 19 points, adding four rebounds and three steals.
- The Hawks are 8-2 against Gannon in Erie, posting five consecutive victories there dating back to the 2016-17 campaign.
- Alana Cardona ranked fourth in the PSAC with five double-doubles, seeing an uptick in her production over the last several weeks. Cardona is third on the team in scoring (13.2) and second in rebounding (9.5).
- IUP used a big second half to pick up a road win in Erie last February as Kiera Baughman posted 14 points with three assists, part of a 70-59 victory against Gannon.
- Baughman leads the team in scoring average at 16.6 points/game, ranking sixth in the PSAC. She is averaging 20.25 points and 3.25 assists for the Hawks over the last four games.
- IUP shot just 38.6% for the game against Mercyhurst, its third-lowest shooting effort of the season. The Hawks also struggles beyond the arc, making just three triples after averaging just over 10 the previous three outings.
- IUP has played nine of its 12 games this season at home, but will play both divisional contests this week on the road at Gannon and Pitt-Johnstown.
- Since 2016-17, IUP boasts a 55-10 (.846) overall record in road games.
- Baughman and Cerro each boast a team-high 28 steals, ranking sixth in the league. The duo is fifth in the PSAC in steals/game (2.33).
SCOUTING GANNON
- Gannon jumped from 23 to 17 in the latest D2SIDA rankings, released January 10. The Knights had a successful week with road wins at Slippery Rock and Pitt-Johnstown.
- The Golden Knights have had a resurgence with the return of head coach Cleve Wright, who returned for a second stint in Erie. Wright left Gannon in April 2013 for a Division I position, returning in 2019.
- Sam Pirosko surpassed 1,000 career points for Gannon earlier this season and ranks third in the league in scoring (18.9). Also adding 8.3 rebounds, Pirosko has been on a torrid stretch of late in helping the team to seven straight victories.
- Much of Gannon's success stems from the defensive end of the floor as the team ranks fourth in the nation in scoring defense (51.5). Teams are shooting just 32.8% against Gannon this season and the Knights have held all but three opponents to 60 points or less.
- Delaney Dogan leads the team with 27 steals and 21 blocks, chipping in 6.2 points/game and 6.8 rebounds/game from the starting lineup. Emma Wright is the team's leading three-point threat, ranking second on the squad in scoring average (12.1).
IUP IN THE POLLS
- IUP is not listed in the latest WBCA ranking.
- The Hawks dropped out of the top 25 in the D2SIDA rankings, now receiving votes. IUP rose up to as high as fifth nationally during the team's unbeaten start.
- IUP also dropped from first to a tie for third in the D2SIDA Atlantic Region rankings.
- The Hawks begin a new week of PSAC West play atop the division standings, picked fourth in the league's preseason poll.
IUP DEFENSE HAS HAD MOMENTS OF BRILLANCE
- While facing some poor-shooting opponents, IUP has been aggressive on the defensive end of the floor. IUP was ranked among the top 20 nationally in field goal percentage defense, but dropped to fourth in the PSAC at 35.8%.
- IUP ranks fifth in the PSAC and 45th in NCAA DII in scoring defense (58.1).
- 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 9.2 steals per contest and forcing 19.1 turnovers per game.
- The Crimson Hawks have held 10 opponents under 70 points and five to 60 points or less.
IUP BEGAN THE SEASON WITH AN 11-0 START
- The Hawks have historically been no strangers to strong starts over the years, winning each of the initial 11 games during the 2022-23 campaign.
- 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 improved on last year's 9-0 start with wins against Millersville and Seton Hill, moving to 11-0 on the season.
CAREY ADDS DEPTH WITH TWO DI TRANSFERS
- IUP has received almost all of the team's minutes from the starting five over the last several weeks. Hoping to add some additional depth to the roster, interim head coach Craig Carey welcomed a pair of mid-year Division I transfers to the lineup.
- Joining the program from Robert Morris, guards Jazmyne DeShields and Janeira Scott arrived in Indiana upon the conclusion of the fall semester.
- DeShields played in 12 games at Robert Morris in 2021-22, previously breaking the North Stafford High School single-season assist and three-point record as a sophomore.
- Scott was part of four consecutive Division 2 championships during her high school career as an All-State Second Team honoree.
- The duo made their IUP debuts at Millersville on December 30. DeShields banked in a triple and added a rebound in 10 minutes, while Scott posted three points, two rebounds, three assists and a steal in 10 minutes of action off the bench.
- DeShields posted 12 points (6-8 FT) with two rebounds and an assist to provide IUP with a spark off the bench against Seton Hill, playing 26 minutes on January 4.
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.
- Cardona is third on the team in scoring (13.2) and second in rebounding (8.6), all while shooting 48.3% from the floor.
- Cardona pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds, adding 10 points while playing all 40 minutes against West Chester. She continued her solid stretch at Millersville behind 11 points and 11 rebounds before point 19 points and tying a career-best 12 boards against Seton Hill.
- 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 11 games this season.
- She was named PSAC West Athlete of the Week on December 6, her first weekly honor from the league.
BAUGHMAN PROVING PRODUCTIVE IN ALL AREAS
- Kiera Baughman continues to step up as a second-year contributor for the Hawks. She dropped in a career-high 24 points against Bloomsburg on December 3, later following it up with a new career-best 32 points at Millersville.
- Baughman leads the team in scoring average (16.6), ranks eighth in the PSAC in assists/game (3.4) and fifth in steals/game (2.3). She is one of three players in the PSAC to rank among the top 10 in all three of those statistical categories.
- She dealt out a career high eight assists against Seton Hill on January 4. Baughman recently registered her first collegiate 30-point scoring performance against the Marauders on December 30, 2022.
- Baughman recorded her second 20-point scoring outing of the season against West Chester on December 19, going 7-of-15 from the floor while adding three assists and three steals in 35 minutes.
- Making 11 starts last season in her collegiate debut, Baughman has taken the next step in her development this season. She collected 28 steals in 30 games last year and has 28 through 12 games in 2022-23.
- A consistent shooter in all areas, Baughman is also 60-for-69 (.870) at the foul line, ranking first in the PSAC in free throw percentage.
PRESTON LEADING THE CHARGE ON THE BOARDS
- 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 second in the PSAC in rebounds/game.
- Cardona (3.3) and Preston (3.1) rank sixth and seventh in the PSAC in offensive rebounding average.
- Preston is fifth in the PSAC in rebounding average (9.5), grabbing 10 or more in four outings. Preston grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds last time out against West Chester, tied for second most among PSAC players this season.
- The Hawks are 13th in the nation in defensive rebounds/game (30.4) and first in the PSAC with a +8.8 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 (14.2) as a speedy guard.
- Cerro ranks 8th in the PSAC in FG percentage at 44.4%.
- She is first on the team with an average of 34.6 minutes as part of the IUP starting lineup, playing 31 minutes or more in each game aside from the blowout win against Rosemont.
- Cerro has posted double figures in 10 of 12 contests this season. She notched 19 points in 37 minutes against Mercyhurst on January 7.
- Cerro is 6th in the PSAC with 2.3 steals/game, adding a season-best five at Mansfield on December 2.
- Cerro added 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.
ADAMS MAKING A DIFFERNCE
- Gina Adams has played her best basketball to date statistically speaking over the last few weeks for IUP.
- The sophomore registered 19 points (4-9 3FG) against West Chester and added 15 more against Millersville (5-11 3FG).
- Adams has also been a consistent rebounding threat for the Hawks lately, posting 6.6 rebounds/game since December 11. Adams pulled in a season-high 10 rebounds against Seton Hill on January 4, 2023.
DECADE OF DOMINANCE 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.
