GREENSBURG, Pa. – IUP women's basketball led for nearly 30 minutes, using timely foul shooting and some stifling defense at times to hold off Seton Hill in a 75-66 victory on Wednesday night at the McKenna Center.
IUP (12-4, 8-3) bounced back on the road, shooting 13-for-16 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to hold on for the victory. The Hawks shot 41.5% from the floor, placing four scorers in double figures and collecting 13 steals as a team.
Shooting 27 for 40 from the foul line for the game, IUP buckled down in the second half, owning a +17 margin at the foul line and a 21-2 margin in the second half.
Rahmena Henderson logged a double-double with 18 points (6-16 FG), 10 rebounds and five steals.
Nyshae' Weaver had a double-double of her own with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while
Kiera Baughman had 15 points.
Maria Cerro had 14 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Teirra Preston and
Grace Centrulla chipped in seven points apiece. Seton Hill worked the score tied at 45 in the third quarter before IUP used a decisive 9-0 surge to take control the rest of the way.
Christian Frye posted a game-high 20 points for SHU, chipping in two rebounds, three assists and three steals.Both sides traded scores early in an up and down start to the contest that included several runs. The Griffins had 22 turnovers on the night, finishing 38.1% from the floor.
Battling some turnovers from both squads, the Crimson Hawks leveled the score at 12 following a triple at 4:27 of the first.
SHU converted off some IUP miscues for a 17-15 edge, closing the quarter on a 7-1 run over the final 3:36. The teams combined for 19 turnovers in the first quarter, including 11 from SHU, as the Griffins led 19-16. Henderson had three steals early, part of nine takeaways for the Crimson Hawks in the first quarter.
IUP responded with a 13-0 scoring blitz in the second quarter that included a pair of layins for Preston. The run pushed IUP back in control at 29-22, part of a larger 14-3 surge that took just over four minutes and prompted a SHU timeout with 6:56 remaining in the opening half.
The Griffins dropped in consecutive baskets and sliced the IUP deficit to 33-29 in the second quarter. IUP maintained its advantage, later moving ahead 38-33 with a jumper from Weaver. The Crimson Hawks tallied 11 steals in the first half, taking a 38-35 edge into the intermission.
Henderson posted a game-high 14 points in the first half, adding seven rebounds and four steals for the visitors. Harlson logged seven points and nine rebounds underneath for SHU in the initial 20 minutes. Despite 16 turnovers, Seton Hill held a 9-2 edge in second chance points.
A one possession game through much of the third quarter, Abby Menkins knotted the score at 45 after splashing home a three just before the shot clock expired. Cerro reached double figures with a layup, providing IUP a four-point edge at 49-45. The basket was part of a 9-0 run for IUP, using strong defense and rebounding to limit SHU to just one chance on the offensive end.
A pair of foul shots from Baughman quelled a response from SHU, widening the IUP lead to 56-52 in a competitive third quarter. After some struggles from the foul line, IUP buckled down from the charity stripe at the onset of the fourth quarter. The Hawks methodically worked the lead back to double digits at 64-54 after a score underneath from Henderson.
From there, the IUP lead hovered around eight points with more timely foul shooting down the stretch. IUP kept SHU at bay at the foul line, holding off the Griffins for a bounceback victory.
Up Next
IUP welcomes Slippery Rock to the KCAC on Saturday, January 27 for a 1:00 p.m. tipoff.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on X (Twitter) @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.
