CLARION, Pa. – IUP women's basketball held off a fourth quarter rally from Clarion, holding on for a 67-58 road win on Wednesday night at Tippin Gymnasium.
 
IUP (15-4, 10-3) kept a pesky Clarion squad (0-20, 0-14) at arm's length as the Golden Eagles chipped away at the deficit throughout the final quarter. Trailing by as many as 21 points with 2:29 left in the third quarter, Clarion got back within eight down the stretch.
 
IUP placed three scorers in double figures with a shorthanded lineup, led by Kiera Baughman's double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds. Rahmena Henderson and Maria Cerro posted 14 points apiece and Teirra Preston pulled down 11 rebounds in 20 minutes, exiting the game in the third quarter in a strong effort.
 
Cerro posted five of IUP's 11 steals, while Grace Centrulla stuffed the stat sheet again with nine points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Hannah Wilkerson paced the Golden Eagles with a double-double of 18 points (11-12 FT) and 12 rebounds. Autumn Taylor added 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists for Clarion, which shot 26.6% for the game.
 
The Crimson Hawks have won 12 consecutive meetings against Clarion, dating back to January 2017. Clarion converted 21 second-chance points and 19 times at the foul line despite the poor shooting performance. 
 
IUP attacked the offensive glass without top rebounder Nyshae' Weaver (illness) in a back and forth start to the contest. Henderson stuck a jumper off a feed from Janeira Scott for a 12-10 lead, marking the final bucket for either side with 2:12 left in the frame.
 
The Hawks began pulling away into the latter stages of the second quarter, using a 7-2 run over the last 2:12 of the half. Combined with strong rebounding, the Hawks used the late run to take a 37-24 advantage into the intermission.
 
Preston flirted with a double-double in the first half for IUP with nine points (4-6 FG) and eight rebounds in the opening 20 minutes. Kiera Baughman also crashed the glass for IUP, logging eight points and seven rebounds in 14 minutes.
 
With a 29-18 edge in rebounding at the half, the Hawks overcame a slow start on the road in the second quarter. Cerro worked into double figures for the Crimson Hawks, converting from beyond the arc for a 44-26 margin. Henderson added to the IUP lead with a triple of her own with 3:36 left in the third, stretching the IUP edge to 54-35.
 
IUP lost another one of its top rebounding threats in the third quarter as Preston left the game in the third period with a lower-body injury. She finished with nine points and 11 rebounds in 20 minutes of action. The Golden Eagles mustered just four field goals in the third quarter, knocking down nine free throws in the frame and keeping the deficit within reach.
 
The Golden Eagles used a 10-0 run as IUP went over six minutes without a basket into the early stages of the fourth quarter. Heather Ansel knocked down her third triple of the night, part of a larger 14-2 spurt, as Clarion sliced its deficit to single digits (58-49) with just around five minutes remaining in the contest.
 
With a methodical approach down the stretch, the Crimson Hawks closed out the game despite a final push from the Golden Eagles.
 
Up Next
IUP returns to the floor next Wednesday, February 7 at Mercyhurst for a 5:30 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. 

 

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