INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP women's basketball scored within the opening seven seconds of the contest and did not look back, cruising to a 101-21 victory in the season opener against Penn State New Kensington on Friday afternoon at the KCAC.
IUP (1-0) placed five in double figures and was equally dominant on the defensive side of the ball. IUP posted its third-largest margin of victory (80) in program history, also tying the third fewest points allowed in a single game (21) and third fewest points allowed in a half (7; 1st half).
IUP raced out to a 32-4 lead over the opening 10 minutes, shooting 71.4% from the floor before working in a variety of lineup combinations throughout the game.
Rahmena Henderson logged a game-high 17 points (8-9 FG) in her IUP debut, grabbing four boards and two steals in just around 20 minutes of action.
IUP shot 64.2% from the floor, the third best single-game output in program history. Penn State New Kensington (0-1) posted seven of 21 total points at the foul line in the team's season opener.
Teirra Preston and
Grace Centrulla (3-3 3FG) each added 15 points and six rebounds, while
Kiera Baughman and
Nyshae' Weaver notched 11 points apiece in an all-around showing.
IUP racked up 70 points in the paint in the victory, forcing PSNK into 29 turnovers.
Maria Cerro registered nine points, three assists and a game-high five steals on Friday.
IUP raced ahead 16-0 just under three minutes into the contest with four different scorers contributing to the opening run. Firmly in control, IUP pushed ahead 21-3 in the opening quarter on the first collegiate bucket for
Elena Benito.
Anna Rafferty, who collected eight points and four boards in 16 minutes off the bench, canned a jumper to round out the first quarter scoring. IUP used a 20-0 run to begin the second quarter with a Centrulla layup widening the margin to 52-4.
IUP led 57-8 at the break, eventually leading by as many as 82 points (101-19) late in the fourth quarter.
Janeira Scott tallied six points with a game-high sox assists for the Hawks, running the offense for 25 minutes off the bench.
The IUP bench posted 34 points, outscoring PSNK (21) alone.
Daniela Shaughnessy put the Hawks over the century mark with a cutting layup in the fourth quarter.
Up Next
IUP hosts Salem (W.Va.) on Monday, November 13 for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff at the KCAC.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.
