INDIANA, Pa. – IUP women's basketball continued their strong play at home last week with a pair of victories and look to continue the momentum with a pair of PSAC West road games, coming Monday and Wednesday. The Hawks visit Edinboro on Monday, January 23 and Slippery Rock on Wednesday, January 25.
The Hawks (13-3) once again received key contributions from throughout the starting lineup in a 71-65 victory against Cal U on January 21 at the KCAC. The victory helped keep IUP near the top of a compacted PSAC Western division with an 8-2 overall conference mark.
Edinboro (10-6) is just below IUP and UPJ in the conference standings with a 7-4 record in league play, picking up consecutive wins. The aggressive Fighting Scots used a bug third quarter to topple Clarion, 67-57. Meanwhile, Slippery Rock (9-8) looks to halt a two-game slide with a crossover clash against Lock Haven on Monday before welcoming IUP on January 25.
GAME INFORMATION – EDINBORO
GAME INFORMATION – SLIPPERY ROCK
AROUND THE LEAGUE
- PSAC Composite Schedule: Here
- 2022-23 Stats: Here
- 2022-23 Standings: Here
IUP NEWS AND NOTES
- Maria Cerro and Gina Adams poured in 19 points apiece for IUP, while Alana Cardona and Teirra Preston each posted a double-double in the victory against Cal U last Saturday.
- IUP lost the final two meetings with Edinboro last season, including the opening round of the PSAC Tournament. Despite the consecutive setbacks, IUP is still 13-6 against the Fighting Scots with a big advantage in the head-to-head series since 2014-15.
- Since 2016-17, IUP boasts a 55-12 record in road games.
- The Hawks are 56-15 in PSAC West games since the 2017-18 season.
- IUP shared the ball well again against Cal U, assisting on 19 of 24 field goals. After a shaky offensive outing at UPJ, the Hawks have responded by assisting on 44 of 53 total field goals (83%) over the last two games.
- Kiera Baughman, the team's leading scorer at 16.1 PPG, has also been the key facilitator for the IUP offense this season. She's passed six assists in each of IUP's triumphs last week against Clarion and Cal U.
- Baughman continues to be among the most consistent guards in the region this year, ranking seventh in the PSAC in scoring average (16.1.), ninth in steals/game (2.1) and eighth in assists/game (3.7).
- The Hawks are third in the PSAC in scoring offense (74.2) and just outside the top five in the league in scoring defense (6th; 60.7).
- IUP has dominated the series with Slippery Rock, winning 22 consecutive meetings dating back to the start of the 2010s. The Hawks survived a double overtime matchup with SRU last February at the KCAC.
SCOUTING EDINBORO
- Edinboro presents an ultra-aggressive defensive style, forcing nearly 27 opponent turnovers per game. The Fighting Scots are also third in the league in scoring offense at 75.6 points/game.
- Edinboro used matching 22 points performances from Rana Elhusseini and Hayley Sims to defeat Clarion, 67-57, last Saturday afternoon at Tippin Gymnasium.
- The duo of Elhusseini and Sims each rank among the top 10 in the PSAC in points/game. Elhusseini is second with 19.3, while Sims is sixth at 16.3.
- Edinboro gets plenty of production from beyond the arc, leading the league with 148 triples on the season.
- Head coach Callie Wheeler took over for longtime Edinboro head coach Stan Swank, who announced his retirement in 2018. Wheeler will coach her 100th career game at the helm of the Fighting Scots on Monday, going 61-38 over her three-plus seasons.
SCOUTING SLIPPERY ROCK
- Slippery Rock (9-8) has cooled off after a strong start in the nonconference slate, dropping six of their last seven contests.
- Slippery Rock suffered a tough 75-48 road loss at Pitt-Johnstown Saturday. Isabellah Middleton led The Rock with her seventh double-double of the season by way of 10 points and 11 rebounds to go along with two steals.
- SRU ranks third in the league in three-point percentage defense, limiting opponents from beyond the arc.
- Sibling duo Isabellah Middleton and Kennedy Middleton each pull down 8.6 rebounds per game, both among the top five in the conference. They rank third and fourth, respectively, in defensive rebounding average among PSAC players.
UP NEXT
- Following the two weekday contests, IUP returns home for PSAC crossover action against East Stroudsburg on Saturday, January 28.
