INDIANA, Pa. – IUP women's basketball looks to salvage the final game of a busy week, welcoming East Stroudsburg to the KCAC for a 1:00 p.m. tipoff on Saturday, January 28. Saturday marks the third game of the week for both teams.
IUP (13-5, 8-5) dropped a hard-fought road matchup at Slippery Rock last time out, falling 52-48. The Hawks fell to Edinboro earlier in the week, which sent to fourth place in the compacted Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West standings.
East Stroudsburg (11-8, 7-6) has won both of its game this week, knocking off Lock Haven in a low-scoring 42-37 victory on Thursday.
GAME INFORMATION – EAST STROUDSBURG
AROUND THE LEAGUE
- PSAC Composite Schedule: Here
- 2022-23 Stats: Here
- 2022-23 Standings: Here
TIPOFF NOTES
- In a close game throughout, Slippery Rock took the lead for good with 48 seconds throughout, handing the Hawks their second divisional road loss in as many outings.
- Teirra Preston battled foul trouble in the first half, but racked up a double-double in the second half alone against SRU. Trying the will the Hawks to victory, Preston posted 14 points and 12 rebounds over the final 20 minutes.
- IUP tied a season-high 29 turnovers in the loss to SRU, its fifth game with 20 turnovers or more this season.
- The Hawks are 56-17 in PSAC West games since the 2017-18 season.
- IUP is 10-1 at home this season, going 68-10 (.871) at the KCAC since the 2017-18 season.
- The Hawks are 20-3 overall in the all-time series, which includes nine consecutive victories dating back to January 2011. It marks the first meeting between the two programs since 2019-20, a 67-54 IUP win the PSAC Semifinals at the KCAC.
- While IUP shot 46% from the floor against SRU in the third quarter, it was a tough shooting night overall. The Hawks missed several quality looks and went just 3-for-18 from deep in the contest.
- Gina Adams, who was the only other IUP scorer in double figures aside from Preston at SRU, is averaging 13.75 points over the last four games.
- Kiera Baughman continues to rank among the top point guards in the PSAC, entering the weekend 10th in the league in scoring (15.8), eighth in assists (3.6) and 13th in steals (1.9).
- The Hawks lead the PSAC in defensive rebounding average (29.1), ranking second in rebounding margin (+7.2).
SCOUTING EAST STROUDSBURG
- Shyla Sanford took control for East Stroudsburg down the stretch as part of a 42-37 win against Lock Haven on Thursday. The game, which was delayed one day due to weather, was a slog for both sides. Ryan Weise (0-of-12 FG) finished with two points, eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal.
- Weise holds the single-season record for three pointers, setting the mark earlier this week at Kutztown. She is fifth in the league in scoring (16.6), third in assists (5.2) and first in three-pointers (65).
- The Warriors are third in the league in field goal percentage defense (36.7), but rank 15 of 18 conference schools in scoring offense (56.8).
- Stephanie Del Preore is in her third season as head women's basketball coach as a former 1,000-point scorer at Marist.
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 moved to sixth in the D2SIDA Atlantic Region rankings.
- The Hawks enter the weekend fourth in the PSAC West 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 fifth in the PSAC at 37.9%.
- IUP ranks eighth in the PSAC in scoring defense (62.1).
- 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 9.0 steals per contest, seventh in the PSAC, while forcing 18.2 turnovers per game.
- The Crimson Hawks have held 14 opponents under 70 points and seven 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 fourth on the team in scoring (12.1) and second in rebounding (8.2), all while shooting 47.5% from the floor.
- Cardona has battled foul trouble lately, limiting her time on the court to just 26 minutes against Gannon and UPJ. She missed her first game of the season last time out against Slippery Rock.
- 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 (15.8), ranks eighth in the PSAC in assists/game (3.6) and 13th in steals/game (1.9).
- 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 35 through 18 games in 2022-23.
- A consistent shooter in all areas, Baughman is also 72-for-87 (.828) at the foul line, ranking third 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 third in the PSAC in rebounds/game.
- Preston is third in the PSAC in rebounding average (9.2), grabbing 10 or more in five outings. Cardona follows closely behind in 9th (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 (29.1) and second in the PSAC with a +7.2 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 (13.2) as a speedy guard.
- Cerro is shooting at 42.2% on the season.
- She is first on the team with an average of 34.9 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 from the floor after converting at nearly 46% over the previous three outings.
- Cerro has posted double figures in 14 of 18 contests this season. She notched 19 points in 37 minutes against Mercyhurst on January 7.
- Cerro is sixth in the PSAC with 2.2 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 steadily improved after stepping into the starting lineup full time this season.
- Adams poured in a career-high 22 points against Gannon, marking his first collegiate 20-point outing. Since January 18, she is averaging 13.75 points over the last four games.
- 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, posting five or more rebounds in 12 games. 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.
