INDIANA, Pa. – IUP placed four in double figures and converted at the foul line down the stretch in a hard-fought 70-66 victory against Pitt-Johnstown on Wednesday night at the KCAC.
IUP (16-7, 11-7) recorded a key divisional victory against Pitt-Johnstown (13-10, 10-7), avenging a loss to the Mountain Cats on the road last month. In a contest with five ties and four lead changes, IUP stayed in front narrowly throughout the fourth quarter before closing out the victory.
Maria Cerro poured in a game-high 21 points with six rebounds and five assists, while
Kiera Baughman fired in 14 points with eight boards.
Gina Adams added 10 points for the Hawks, while
Anna Rafferty chipped in 10 points of her own off the bench.
Pitt-Johnstown took the lead for the final five minutes of the third quarter, working the score tied at 54 in the fourth, but could not get over the top to take the lead in the last 10 minutes. Cerro stole the ball and raced ahead for a bucket, giving IUP a 56-54 advantage, which put the hosts ahead for good despite the Mountain Cats sticking around.
Neither side shot particularly well in an evenly played first half. The Hawks spread the scoring around in the opening 20 minutes, while the Mountain Cats got 13 of the team's 34 points from Peyton Alazaus. Alazaus finished with 15 points, mustering two in the second half, while Makaly Clapper notched 15 points of her own for the visitors.
Hayden Taylor finished in double figures with 12 for UPJ, while Ashley Norling posted 11 points with seven rebounds and two blocks.
After leading by five points about three minutes in, the Mountain Cats responded back for a three point advantage. Preston stuck a layup in the low block, expanding the IUP advantage to 17-11 with just over one minute left in the opening frame.
IUP led by as many as 10 points in the second quarter after a triple from Cardona at 6:18. UPJ clawed back methodically, keyed by some strong shooting from beyond the arc from Alazaus. The Hawks went scoreless over the final 1:51 of the second quarter, while UPJ knotted the score at 34 at the foul line.
Baughman broke a tie with a triple early in the second half at the 8:30 mark before UPJ sliced the deficit to one with a layin. From there, both sides struggled finding the basket, going around a combined three minutes between points.
UPJ gained some narrow separation with a jumper from Taylor, later taking a one-point advantage into the fourth quarter at 49-48. Six consecutive points lifted IUP ahead 54-49 with stops on the defensive end and efficient offense.
With eh score tied at 54, IUP opened up an 11-6 surge that provided just enough separation. Baughman and Cerro were key down the stretch at the foul line, while IUP was aggressive on the defensive end without fouling.
Up Next
IUP travels to Clarion for a 1:00 p.m. road matchup on Saturday, February 11.
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