INDIANA, Pa. – IUP women's basketball has steadied itself after a shaky stretch, winning three divisional games last week and looking to keep the momentum going on Wednesday, February 15 with a matchup against Edinboro. Tipoff from the KCAC is set for 5:30 p.m.
IUP (17-7, 12-7) used an important stretch to push itself in the top tier of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western division. The Hawks have a chance to overtake Edinboro (15-8, 12-6) for second place in the Western division with a victory tomorrow.
IUP was pushed to the limit in a 69-65 road win against Clarion last time out. The Hawks buckled down over the final few minutes, using a balanced effort to sweep the regular season series against the Golden Eagles.
The Hawks were outstanding at the foul line (16-18) and kept pace in a tightly contested PSAC West. Edinboro dropped its last matchup to Slippery Rock, falling 78-63, despite 17 points from Bella Burelli.
IUP looks to avenge a 95-69 road loss at Edinboro in late January. The potent Fighting Scot offense, which enters the game first in the conference and 17th nationally in scoring average, was on full display with torrid three-point shooting. Rana Elhuseini poured in a new career high 36 points (10-16 FG) with seven assists and five boards in the victory against the Hawks.
GAME INFORMATION – EDINBORO
TIPOFF NOTES
- Wednesday marks the penultimate home game of the 2022-23 regular season for IUP, which hosts Slippery Rock on Saturday to round out the home slate.
- While using the advantage inside over the last several games, the Hawks struggled last time out in limiting paint points and easy buckets. Overall, IUP owns a rebounding margin of +6.4 and has shown glimpses of outstanding inside-outside offense this season.
- Alana Cardona poured in 17 points (7-9 FG) with seven rebounds in 29 minutes against Edinboro, providing a big boost in the second half after picking up her third foul near the end of the opening quarter.
- Elhusseini leads the Scots with 19.8 points per game ranking second in the PSAC and 15th in DII. Defensively, Edinboro forces over 23 turnovers per contest.
- Maria Cerro averaged 17.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and five assists last week in a busy three-game stretch. Gina Adams went 40.9% from beyond the arc during that span, connecting on nine of 22 treys.
- Elhusseini leads the PSAC in steals (2.6) while Cerro ranks fifth (2.3) in the conference.
