INDIANA, Pa. – IUP women's basketball is set for another difficult divisional test, visiting Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday, January 14. Tipoff from the UPJ Sports Center is set for 1:00 p.m.
IUP (11-2, 6-2) fell to a surging Gannon squad last time out on Wednesday, unable to overcome a slow start in the setback. With first place in the PSAC West on the line, IUP trimmed its 21-point third quarter deficit down to just three, but could not close out an experienced Gannon squad.
UPJ (8-6, 5-3) saw its lead shrink into the fourth quarter, part of a 62-55 defeat against Clarion on January 11. Hayden Taylor and Makalyn Clapper, who added five rebounds and four assists, paced Pitt-Johnstown with 14 points apiece.
GAME INFORMATION – PITT-JOHNSTOWN
AROUND THE LEAGUE
- PSAC Composite Schedule: Here
- 2022-23 Stats: Here
- 2022-23 Standings: Here
TIPOFF NOTES
- IUP split its regular season meetings with UPJ in 2021-22, dropping a matchup on the road before bouncing back for a Senior Day victory last February.
- Gannon shot 62.7% from the floor for the game last time out, also going 8-of-11 from beyond the arc on its way to an eighth consecutive victory. Gina Adams, Maria Cerro and Janeira Scott each had three steals as IUP looked to battle back.
- Adams dropped in a career-high 22 points (7-7 FT) against the Knights. Gannon received a combined 58 points from the duo of Emma Wright (28) and Bri Claxon (30).
- IUP is second in the conference in scoring offense (76.8), but has slipped to eighth in the league in scoring defense (60.8). The 94 points allowed to Gannon was the most this season for IUP, including the opening exhibition of the year against Duke (90).
- IUP had a 14-game regular season winning streak snapped with its setback to Mercyhurst.
- The Hawks are 54-14 in PSAC West games since the 2017-18 season.
- Alana Cardona ranks fifth in the PSAC with five double-doubles, ranking third on the team in scoring (12.6) and second in rebounding (8.6).
- Kiera Baughman leads the team in scoring average at 16.6 points/game, ranking seventh in the PSAC. She is averaging 19.6 points and 3.2 assists for the Hawks over the last four games.
- IUP has played nine of its 13 games this season at home, looking to salvage a divisional road contest at Pitt-Johnstown this week.
- Cerro is shooting 45.6% from the floor over the last three games for IUP. She added six assists and three steals in 34 minutes against Gannon, marking her fourth consecutive outing with three steals.
- Since 2016-17, IUP boasts a 55-11 overall record in road games.
- Cerro leads the team with 31 steals, ranking fifth in the league. She joins Baughman, who is ninth in the league with 29 steals.
SCOUTING PITT-JOHNSTOWN
- Head Coach Mike Drahos' (10th year) and the Pitt-Johnstown Mountain Cats come in at 8-6 overall and 5-3 in the PSAC West following Wednesday's narrow, 62-55, loss at Clarion. Makalyn Clapper and Hayden Taylor each scored 14 points, while Peyton Alazaus added 11 points and seven rebounds for the Mountain Cats.
- The Mountain Cats rank 15th of 18 PSAC schools in rebounding (35.14), slotting last in defensive rebounds/game (22.6).
- Three starters average double figures for UPJ, led by Alazaus (13.1). The duo of Olivia Fasick and Ashley Norling are each among the top 10 in the league in assists/game on a squad that is dangerous from beyond the arc.
- UPJ has home victories against Millersville, Kutztown and West Chester, all teams the Crimson Hawks have knocked off. The Mountain Cats fell to Gannon on January 7 before the setback to Clarion.
IUP IN THE POLLS
- IUP is not listed in the latest WBCA ranking, receiving votes in the latest listing.
- 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 BRILLIANCE
- While facing some poor-shooting opponents early in the nonconference slate, 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 ninth in the PSAC at 37.5%.
- Mercyhurst shot 53.7% from the field in IUP's initial loss of the season, while Gannon was efficient throughout the contest, finishing with a 62.7% shooting clip against the Hawks.
- IUP ranks eighth in the PSAC in scoring defense (60.8).
- 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 9.4 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.
- Scott saw an increase in playing time, making a difference on both ends of the floor against Gannon. In just her fourth contest of the season, Scott posted 17 points, two rebounds and three steals against the Knights.
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 (12.6) and second in rebounding (8.6), all while shooting 46% 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 ninth in the PSAC in assists/game (3.4) and seventh in steals/game (2.2). 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 29 through 13 games in 2022-23.
- A consistent shooter in all areas, Baughman is also 64-for-75 (.853) at the foul line, ranking fourth 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.
- Preston is sixth in the PSAC in rebounding average (8.9), grabbing 10 or more in four outings. Cardona follows closely behind in seventh (8.6) along the low block for the Hawks. Preston grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds last time out against West Chester, tied for third most among PSAC players this season.
- The Hawks are first in the conference in defensive rebounds/game (29.2) and first in the PSAC with a +8.7 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 (14.5) as a speedy guard.
- Cerro ranks sixth in the PSAC in FG percentage at 45.9%.
- She is first on the team with an average of 34.5 minutes as part of the IUP starting lineup, playing 31 minutes or more in each game aside from the blowout win against Rosemont.
- Cerro is shooting 45.6% from the floor over the last three games for IUP, fresh off an 18-point effort against Gannon on January 11.
- Cerro has posted double figures in 11 of 13 contests this season. She notched 19 points in 37 minutes against Mercyhurst on January 7.
- Cerro is 4th in the PSAC with 2.4 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 DIFFERENCE
- Gina Adams has played her best basketball to date statistically speaking over the last few weeks for IUP.
- Adams poured in a career-high 22 points against Gannon, marking his first collegiate 20-point outing.
- 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 six 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.
