INDIANA, Pa. – IUP women's basketball returns home for a pair of divisional games this week, starting with a matchup with Clarion on Wednesday, January 18. Tipoff from the KCAC is slated for 5:30 p.m.
IUP (11-3, 6-3) has lost three straight games with a disjointed offensive effort last time out at Pitt-Johnstown. The Hawks mustered just seven field goals in the second half, falling 62-42.
Clarion (3-11, 3-6) fell short last time out against West Chester, 70-51. Jada Smith and Allyson Kirby tied for the team-high with five boards apiece, while Smith finished with a team-high 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
GAME INFORMATION – CLARION
AROUND THE LEAGUE
- PSAC Composite Schedule: Here
- 2022-23 Stats: Here
- 2022-23 Standings: Here
TIPOFF NOTES
- Kiera Baughman was the lone IUP scorer in double figures last weekend at UPJ, posting 12 points with three assists and two steals.
- IUP shot just 30.8% from the floor for the game, including 7-27 (25.9%) in the second half. Josie Smith logged her first collegiate start on Saturday, stepping in for the unavailable Teirra Preston.
- The Hawks are 54-15 in PSAC West games since the 2017-18 season.
- IUP's 42 points mark the lowest scoring output in a game since the 2020 PSAC Championship game against Gannon.
- IUP worked the game ties at 16 against UPJ, but the Mountain Cats moved back in front and did not trail the rest of the way.
- IUP has won nine consecutive meetings in the series with Clarion, going 11-0 in Indiana dating back to the 2010-11 campaign.
- IUP's last two losses have come to a pair of teams ranked in the top five in the PSAC West standings. Gannon has reeled off nine wins in a row, moving into first place in the West, while Pitt-Johnstown created a three-way tie in the compacted standings with a 6-3 conference mark.
- The Hawks have swept four consecutive regular season series with Clarion going back to the start of the 2017-18 season.
- IUP's 20-point loss at UPJ is the largest defeat for the Hawks since the 2018 NCAA Final Four against Ashland (92-68; 24 points).
- IUP ranks third in the conference in rebounding average (41.21), slipping to eighth in the league in scoring defense (60.9).
- Maria Cerro is fifth in the PSAC in steals (34) and seventh in assists (57) entering the week, shooting up to 13.6 points/game for the Hawks.
SCOUTING CLARION
- Wednesday's matchup features a pair of first year head coaches in Craig Carey for IUP and Jermaine Cooper for Clarion.
- Clarion's last win came against UPJ, snapping a three-game skid that spanned to December 30.
- Jada Smith is close to a double-double per game with 8.6 points and 9.4 rebounds. She is third in the league in rebounding average, while Clarion is 15 among 18 PSAC schools in rebounding this season.
- The Golden Eagles average nearly four blocks/game, led by the inside duo of Ava Haddad (17 blocks) and Allyson Kirby (16 blocks).
- Sierra Bermudez is the lone starter in double digits for Clarion at 11.6 points/game, providing the team's top threat from beyond the arc.
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. IUP rose up to as high as fifth nationally during the team's unbeaten start.
- IUP also dropped tie for third to eighth 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 37.6%.
- 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 (60.9).
- 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 9.5 steals per contest, good for fifth in the PSAC, while forcing 19.0 turnovers per game.
- The Crimson Hawks have held 11 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 PROVIDES STABILITY IN THE POST
- 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 (12.3) and second in rebounding (8.2), all while shooting 46.2% from the floor.
- Cardona has battled foul trouble over the last few games, limiting her time on the court to just 26 minutes against Gannon and UPJ.
- 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 (16.3), ranks eighth in the PSAC in assists/game (3.4) and ninth 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 66-for-77 (.857) at the foul line, ranking fifth 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 (8.2) along the low block for the Hawks. Preston grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds 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 +7.7 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 (13.6) as a speedy guard.
- Cerro ranks eighth in the PSAC in FG percentage at 43.5%.
- 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 struggled shooting the ball against UPJ, going just 1-11 fro the floor after converting at nearly 46% over the previous three outings.
- Cerro has posted double figures in 11 of 14 contests this season. She notched 19 points in 37 minutes against Mercyhurst on January 7.
- Cerro is fifth 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 three or more rebounds/game in each outing 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.
