INDIANA, Pa. – IUP women's basketball held on for a 55-54 victory on Monday night in a back and forth matchup with Salem (W.Va.) on Monday night at the KCAC.
With neither team able to assert itself throughout the evening and some sluggish offense late into the second half, IUP (2-0) led by one with 30 seconds to go and closed out the game on the defensive end. Ahead 55-54, the Hawks could not covert a pair of crucial foul shots, while Salem (0-3) never got a quality look over the final 19 seconds of the contest.
IUP shot just 37.5% for the game and a measly 18.8% from three-point range, forcing 18 turnovers and adding 10 steals on the defensive end. The Hawks also got some timely rebounds, holding a 43-37 edge on the boards.
The Hawks were led once again by transfer
Rahmena Henderson, who notched a team-high 14 points as one of three players in double figures. Henderson added six rebounds and four steals, while
Teirra Preston got in done on both sides of the floor with 12 points, nine rebounds and four steals, shaking off five turnovers from earlier in the game.
Maria Cerro added 10 points and nine boards, just missing out on a double-double, while
Nyshae' Weaver provided some quality minutes off the bench with eight rebounds, including the defensive board as time expired.
Meanwhile, Salem received a team-high 14 points off the bench from Liliani Krause with Tedora Popvic also reaching double figures with 12 points.
IUP held a narrow 31-30 lead at the intermission in a back and forth opening half. The Salem bench provided the Tigers a spark in the first half before the Crimson Hawks slowly regained control. Baughman posted a game-high nine points in the first half with Henderson adding eight over the opening 20 minutes.
The Hawks shot 40.6% from the floor but went 2-for-9 (22.2%) from distance in the first half. Neither side held an advantage of more than five points in the first quarter, coming on a driving layup from Baughman at 1:29 for a 17-12 edge.
A long two from Preston pushed IUP to its largest lead of the half at the 8:03 mark of the second quarter. Salem responded with a 12-0 spurt over the next four minutes, taking a narrow 28-25 lead on a Anna Machykova bucket in the second quarter. The Hawks moved back in front on the final basket of the opening half with under 35 seconds remaining. Both sides went cold over the final five minutes of the opening half, combining for four baskets and five turnovers.
In the third, Henderson surged through for a five-point lead (37-32) with a layup before Salem regained the edge on an Emerson Wells three-point basket. Henderson leveled the score at 41 going into the final frame, which was controlled by Salem for much of the frame.
A quick 6-2 run pushed IUP ahead at 53-49 with under four minutes remaining. The Hawks tightened on defense, allowing just five Salem points over the final 3:40. The Hawks also went cold from the floor during that span, posting just one basket on a layup from Preston while relying on the defense down the stretch. The Tigers outscored IUP by a 7-4 margin over the last 4:53 of the game, unable to tie or take the lead.
Up Next
IUP visits Fairmont State on Wednesday, November 15 at 6:00 p.m.
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