INDIANA, Pa. – IUP women's basketball is back at the KCAC on Saturday afternoon, welcoming Mercyhurst for a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West matchup. Tipoff is slated for 1:00 p.m.
IUP (11-0, 6-0) built up a large enough lead after a quick start, knocking off Seton Hill by a 77-60 count last Wednesday in the PSAC West opener for both sides. The Hawks jumped in front. 28-12, in the opening quarter and did not look back against the Griffins.
Mercyhurst (7-5, 3-3) looks to bounce back from a divisional loss to nearby Edinboro last time out. The Lakers fell behind in the first half in the 60-49 loss to the Fighting Scots, snapping a stretch of consecutive PSAC crossover wins to close out December.
GAME INFORMATION – MERCYHURST
AROUND THE LEAGUE
- PSAC Composite Schedule: Here
- 2022-23 Stats: Here
- 2022-23 Standings: Here
TIPOFF NOTES
- The Crimson Hawks are the lone team in the PSAC with an unbeaten overall and conference record. Nationally, the Crimson Hawks are one of just four remaining undefeated teams in Division II following Wednesday's win.
- The Hawks are 54-12 in PSAC West games since the 2017-18 season, including 29-4 at home.
- IUP has no shortage of contributions offensively in the win against Seton Hill earlier this week. Five players scored in double figures, including a game-high 19 points for Alana Cardona.
- Cardona also posted 12 rebounds for her third straight double-double last time out, collecting her fifth of the season.
- The Hawks were strong on the defensive end for much of the win against SHU, limiting the Griffins to just one three-point field goal through nearly 32 minutes of game action. IUP ranks second in the PSAC in scoring defense (56.2) and fourth in the league in three-point percentage defense (.275).
- Kiera Baughman notched her third consecutive double figure scoring game with 12 points, adding a career-high eight assists on Wednesday.
- Baughman is one of just three players in the PSAC to rank among the top 10 in the league in points/game (7th; 16.5), assists/game (8th; 3.60) and steals/game (5th; 2.4). Baughman and Maria Cerro are both among the top 10 in the league in both assists and steals for the Hawks.
- IUP has swept the regular season series with Mercyhurst each of the last three playing seasons since 2018-19. The Hawks have won 10 of the last 11 meetings with Mercyhurst. Baughman pushed IUP to a 68-51 road win against the Lakers in the last meeting in February 2022 with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
- IUP has won 14 consecutive regular season contests, dating back to the end of 2021-22.
- IUP is one of just two teams in the PSAC with at least three players averaging 13.0 points/game or better entering the weekend. West Chester has four players with at least 13.0 points/game, while IUP has three (Baughman, Cerro, Cardona).
SCOUTING MERCYHURST
- Mercyhurst is third in the PSAC in scoring offense (76.5) as seven players average seven points/game or higher. The Lakers are second in the conference in three-point percentage (.376), led by sharpshooter Lexi Wagner (25-56 3FG).
- Ava Waid led the charge for the team with 11 points and three assists, as she was followed by Bailey Kuhns with seven in the loss to Edinboro.
- The Lakers have won three of their past four road games, most recently an 86-43 victory at Mansfield on December 30.
- Julia Buchman (11.0) and Grace Centrulla (10.8) each average double digits in scoring for a balanced Mercyhurst lineup.
IUP IN THE POLLS
- Despite the unbeaten record, IUP is still not listed in the WBCA Top 25.
- The Hawks have risen to fifth nationally in the D2SIDA rankings, also holding down the top spot in the Atlantic Region Poll.
- The Hawks get ready for the start of PSAC West play atop the division standings, picked fourth in the league's preseason poll.
IUP DEFENSE HAS BEEN LOCKDOWN
- While facing some poor-shooting opponents, IUP has been aggressive on the defensive end of the floor, ranking top 20 nationally in field goal percentage defense (12th; .344).
- IUP ranks second in the PSAC and 22nd in NCAA DII in scoring defense (56.2).
- 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 9.3 steals per contest and forcing 19.0 turnovers per game.
- The Crimson Hawks have held 10 opponents under 70 points and five to 60 points or less.
ANOTHER UNBEATEN START FOR HAWKS
- 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 last time out at Millersville. 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.
CARDONA CONTINUES HITTING HER STRIDE
- 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 (13.5) and second in rebounding (8.7), all while shooting 47.3% from the floor.
- 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. Cardona has logged three double-doubles over the past five outings.
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 (16.5), ranks eighth in the PSAC in assists/game (3.6) and fifth in steals/game (2.4). 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 26 through 11 games in 2022-23.
- A consistent shooter in all areas, Baughman is also 58-for-65 (.892) at the foul line, ranking first 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 first in the PSAC in rebounds/game.
- Preston is third in the PSAC in rebounding average (9.8), grabbing 10 or more in four outings. Preston grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds last time out against West Chester, tied for second most among PSAC players this season.
- The Hawks are third in the nation in defensive rebounds/game (31.3) and first in the PSAC with a +9.5 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 (13.7) as a speedy guard.
- Cerro ranks 8th in the PSAC in FG percentage at 46.3%.
- She is first on the team with an average of 34.4 minutes as part of the IUP starting lineup, playing 31 minutes or more in each game aside from the blowout win against Rosemont.
- Cerro has posted double figures in nine of 11 contests this season.
- Cerro is seventh in the PSAC with 2.3 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 DIFFERNCE
- Gina Adams has played her best basketball to date statistically speaking over the last few weeks for IUP
- 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 7.0 rebounds/game 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.
