INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP women's basketball team used a fast start and stifling defense the rest of the way in a 77-60 victory on Wednesday night in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West opener for both sides.
IUP (11-0, 6-0) stays unbeaten on the season, placing five scorers in double figures on the night. A strong shooting effort, particularly in the first and fourth quarters, the Hawks shot 40.0% for the game.
Meanwhile, Seton Hill (9-6, 2-4) struggled shooting the ball, going just 5-of-25 from three-point range.
The balanced Hawks were paced by a game-high 19 points from
Alana Cardona, who collected her fifth double-double of the season with 12 rebounds. It marked the third consecutive double-double effort for Cardona, who scored nine of her 19 points in the first quarter alone, while adding three assists and two blocks.
Maria Cerro followed close behind with 18 points (6-12 FG) and three steals, while
Kiera Baughman,
Gina Adams and
Jazmyne DeShields added 12 points each.
Courtney Tomas and Christiane Fry led the Griffins with 13 points apiece as Alie Seto chipped in 10.
The Hawks went a combined 15-for-29 from the floor, converting at 51.7% across the first and fourth quarters. SHU was just 1-for-18 from distance through the first 30 minutes as IUP held onto its early advantage.
Leading 11-8 midway through the opening stanza, consecutive triples from DeShields and Adams widened the advantage to 17-10 at the 2:50 mark. The Hawks continued adding to their advantage at the foul line in the first quarter, closing the frame on an 11-0 spurt for a 28-12 lead heading into the second.
Baskets from Cerro and
Teirra Preston pushed IUP ahead by at least 20 in the final five minutes of the second quarter. The Hawks moved ahead 40-18 at the intermission after a foul shot from DeShields at 1:31.
A layup from Cardona, following an offensive rebound from
Janeira Scott, provided IUP its largest lead of the game at 51-22 with 6:12 left in the third. The Griffins looked to chip away, but could not cut the IUP margin to under 17 points over the final stanza.
The Hawks dominated the battle of the boards, holding a 52-29 edge in rebounding. Adams posted just the second double-double of her collegiate points, nabbing 10 rebounds in addition to her 12 points.
IUP also shared the ball well, assisting on 17 of 24 made field goals.
Up Next
IUP will face a tough divisional test on Saturday, January 7, hosting Mercyhurst at the KCAC for a 1:00 p.m. tipoff.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.
