INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP women's basketball stormed out of the gate and received a dominant double-double effort from
Teirra Preston in a 74-50 victory against Mansfield on Monday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play.
IUP (5-2, 2-1 PSAC) opened up an 11-0 run to begin the game and did not look back, holding the lead for all but six seconds of the contest. Preston poured in a career best 27 points (11-15 FG) with 10 rebounds to pace an efficient IUP squad on Monday.
The Hawks led by as many as 27 points in the game, placing three players in double figures.
Rahmena Henderson posted 17 points, five rebounds and five steals, while
Maria Cerro added 14 points and three steals in her return to the lineup.
IUP assisted on 21 of 30 made field goals and forced 26 Mansfield (4-4) turnovers with 18 steals on the night. The Hawks racked up 42 points at the break and continued using some aggressive defense to expand its margin. Mansfield received a team-high 14 points apiece from Jasmine Hilton and Emilie Leidig, with Hilton securing a double-double behind 12 rebounds.
Preston racked up 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor in the opening half, including eight points early as part of a big surge to begin the contest. IUP rode a fast start to an early advantage before taking a 42-27 lead into the locker room. The Hawks racked up three steals on their way to an 11-0 run to begin the contest, including eight early points from Preston.
The Hawks shot a blistering 59.4% in the opening half, including 62.5% in the second quarter alone for a sizable advantage.
Preston's layup stretched the IUP lead to 12 points off an inside feed from Baughman before the Hawks widened the advantage to 28-14 on another stickback from Preston. Baughman's driving basket handed IUP its largest lead of the opening half at 17 (40-23).
Janeira Scott rounded out IUP's scoring with a driving bucket before one final defensive stand heading into the intermission. The Hawks kept Mansfield at bay, leading by 20 or more for much of the second half with strong play on both ends of the floor.
Overall, four players had at least three steals for the Crimson Hawks, which converted 31 points off turnovers and held a 44-24 advantage in paint points.
Up Next
IUP welcomes Bloomsburg on Tuesday, December 19 for a 5:30 p.m. matchup with Bloomsburg.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.
