JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – IUP women's basketball could not overcome a productive fourth quarter from Pitt-Johnstown, falling 62-42 on Saturday at the Sports Center.
IUP (11-3, 6-3) struggled shooting throughout the afternoon, particularly in the second half, enduring several scoring droughts.
Kiera Baughman posted a team-high 12 points with three assists.
UPJ (9-6, 6-3) used a balanced effort with four in double figures, shooting 50% from the floor over the final 10 minutes to push its lead to double digits. Peyton Alazaus posted a game-high 16 points for the Mountain Cats, just missing out on a double0doube with nine rebounds and five assists.
Ashley Norilng added 15 points and five boards, while Olivia Fasick poured in 14 points with four steals.
IUP opened a narrow lead throughout the first quarter, capped by a layin from Cardona with under one minute in the frame for a 14-11 advantage. UPJ regained the advantage in the second period of action, starting with an and-one for Norling.
Minutes later, Alazaus capitalized on an IUP turnover with a triple, pushing UPJ to a 23-18 advantage. Another turnover led to a runout bucket for Alazus, handing the hosts a 10-point advantage at 30-20.
IUP trimmed its third quarter deficit to as little as five with
Josie Smith scoring underneath before the Mountain Cats promptly responded with a triple at the 9:20 mark. IUP cooled off shooting for the remainder of the afternoon as
Anna Kadlubek closed out the frame with a jumper from Baughman.
The Mountain Cats outpaced IUP by a 20-9 margin, moving ahead by double figures on the initial basket of the stanza and not looking back. UPJ used a 13-0 run to start the fourth to clinch the game, extending its lead to 22.
Alana Cardona battled some foul trouble, recording eight points, three rebounds and a pair of assists in 26 minutes.
Gina Adams chipped in six points for the Hawks, who allowed UPJ to take control of the contest behind a strong shooting effort in the second and fourth quarters.
Up Next
IUP returns home on Wednesday, January 18 for a divisional matchup with Clarion at 5:30 p.m.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.
