INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP women's basketball team used a perfect night from the foul line and a career-high 28 points from
Nyshae' Weaver to hold off a late Pitt-Johnstown push in a 68-63 victory.
Up by 12 in the fourth, IUP (17-5, 13-4) was able to keep Pitt-Johnstown (14-10, 9-9) at bay from the foul line down the stretch. Weaver dazzled with a career-high 28 points in a double-double effort, adding 13 rebounds and three steals for the hosts.
Weaver's 28 points are two more than her previous career high of 26, set in her freshman year at Alderson Broaddus against West Virginia State (2/16/22).
Kiera Baughman and
Rahmena Henderson added 13 points apiece for IUP, which shot 49.1% for the game and forced 15 turnovers on the night. Much like the first meeting, IUP had a big advantage in the paint with a 36-27 edge in rebounding and a 36-20 margin in paint points.
The Hawks connected on 10 of their 12 foul shots in the fourth quarter, not trailing throughout the second half. Olivia Fasick posted 17 points and four assists for the Mountain Cats, eventually fouling out after 26 minutes.
Cassidy Crawford posted 26 points and eight rebounds in 40 minutes for UPJ, while Hayden Taylor chipped in 12 points.
Grace Centrulla pulled down eight rebounds with three assists and
Maria Cerro notched seven points, five rebounds and five assists.
In a half that featured 19 combined turnovers, neither team could pull away in the first half, going into intermission knotted at 27. Baughman nearly collected her season average in the first half with a team-high nine points, while Crawford dropped in 12 points for the Mountain Cats.
The Hawks began the game on a 9-2 run in the first quarter.
Janeira Scott drilled a triple for a 14-11 lead at the end of the first, a lead that IUP stretched to seven (18-11) about a minute into the second.
A timely three from Craford sliced the IUP lead to just one at 21-20. UPJ continued taking advantage of a shooting slump for the Hawks, moving ahead 27-25 on a three from Fasick. Baughman rounded out the scoring with a pullup jump shot for the final basket of the opening half.
The teams combined for five field goals following the second quarter media timeout. UPJ had four turnovers in that stretch, while IUP went just 3-for-11 from the field heading into the half.
The Hawks locked down defensively in the third quarter and created some separation at 46-37. Cerro pushed the Hawks ahead double figures at 44-34 with a bucket at the 1:47 mark of the third before Weaver capped the third quarter scoring with a transition bucket off a steal from Centrulla.
The IUP lead hovered around double digits for much of the fourth before the Mountain Cats made their final push. Centrulla converted from beyond the arc for a 53-41 margin before UPJ answered with a 10-4 push over the next few minutes. The Mountain Cats trimmed the deficit to four on three occasions over the last 51 seconds before IUP responded with a pair of foul shots each time to regain a six-point edge.
Up Next
IUP visits Edinboro on Saturday, February 17 for a 1:00 p.m. road matchup.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.
