INDIANA, Pa. - IUP women's basketball is riding high after a strong run through the middle of February, winning their last four straight games. They'll look to extend the streak to five when against Slippery Rock on Saturday, February 18. Tipoff from the KCAC for Senior Day and Alumni Day is set for 1:00pm.
 
IUP (18-7, 13-7) leapfrogged Edinboro in the standings with a 71-52 win over the Fighting Scots, giving the Hawks sole possession of second place in the PSAC West. The Hawks will recognize Alana Cardona and Josie Smith prior to tipoff and several former student-athletes at halftime of the final regular season home game. While Smith is a junior athletically, she is a senior academically and plans to attend graduate school upon the conclusion of the academic year.
 
Despite Slippery Rock (14-11, 9-10) sitting towards the bottom of the PSAC West table, the Hawks will still be looking for a win as both Edinboro and California (Pa.) are only one game behind with only two games left to play in the regular season.
 
IUP scrapped hard for their 71-52 win over Edinboro on Wednesday. The Fighting Scots kept with the Hawks for the first two quarters and went into halftime down by two. By the end of three quarters, the gap had opened to five points in favor of the Hawks. IUP dominated in the final frame, outscoring Edinboro 24-12 to push the margin of victory to 19 points. The Hawks were once again phenomenal at the free throw line, going 20-24 with 13 of the makes coming in the 4th quarter.
 
Slippery Rock is on a two-game winning streak, winning at home against Mercyhurst and on the road against Edinboro. Deleah Gibson posted a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds on the way to The Rock's 78-63 win over Edinboro in Slippery Rock's last game on February 11.
 
IUP looks to avenge their January 25 48-52 road loss to Slippery Rock. While both teams struggled to find shooting rhythm from the floor, it was the turnover margin that eventually secured the win for Slippery Rock. Slippery Rock ended the game with 13 steals and seven blocks as they squeaked out the win on their home court, snapping an extended losing streak against IUP.
 
GAME INFORMATION – SLIPPERY ROCK

• Game 26: IUP vs. Slippery Rock 
• When: Saturday, February 18 – 1:00 p.m.
• Where: KCAC – Indiana, Pa.  
• Social Media Updates: Twitter (@IUP_WBB)
• Live Video:  PSAC Digital Network (IUP-TV Sports)
• Live Audio: U92 Sports Channel (U92.5 FM)
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast
• Season Stats: IUP | Slippery Rock

 
TIPOFF NOTES

• Saturday is the final home game of the regular season for the Hawks. They will play the last game of the regular season on the road against Cal on Saturday February 25. IUP has not locked up a playoff spot yet despite being second in the league standings in a compacted Western division.
• IUP continues to be extremely efficient and effective from the stripe, holding an 84% (47-56) rate over their last three games.
• Kiera Baughman posted a double-double against Edinboro with 18 points and 10 rebounds, including a perfect 8-8 performance at the free-throw line and a team-leading 6 assists.
• Teirra Preston also posted a double-double against Edinboro with 14 points and 13 rebounds, providing a strong interior presence along with Alana Cardona, who scored 13 points and snagged nine rebounds.
• Anna Rafferty posted the most minutes (8) off the bench, but in those few minutes she grabbed five timely rebounds for the Hawks.
• Isabellah Middleton leads SRU in scoring, averaging 16.9 points per game, followed closely by Deleah Gibson who averages 16.1 points.
• Gibson also is 33rd in the country in steals, posting an average of 2.57 steals per game.
• Slippery Rock snapped a 29-game skid which dated back to 2007 against IUP with a sloppy 52-48 victory over the Hawks in late January.