INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP women's basketball team is set to open its home slate Wednesday at 6 p.m. against Ashland at the KCAC. IUP enters the matchup 2-0 after two convincing road wins. Ashland is 1-1 with a plus-1.5 scoring differential through its first two games.
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
IUP vs. Ashland
Wednesday, Nov. 19 – 6 p.m. – KCAC – Indiana, Pa.
Coverage: Live video (PSAC Digital Network), live stats (StatBroadcast)
COMING UP
IUP vs. Chatham
Friday, Nov. 21 – 11 a.m. – Indiana, Pa.
TIPOFF NOTES
• Head coach Craig Carey is in his fourth season at IUP. Hired before the 2022-23 season, Carey is coming off a strong campaign in which the Crimson Hawks upset the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Region tournament before falling to Gannon in the third round.
• IUP has won its last six regular-season home openers. Its most recent loss came during the 2017-18 season.
• Three freshmen joined the Crimson Hawks this offseason: Molly Keane, Raigan McCalla and Bella Vent.
• Carey and his staff added seven transfers: Ali Hardwell (South Carolina State), Bella Bosch (Pitt-Johnstown), Bella Peterson (Northeastern Junior College), Teresa Maggio (Mount Vernon Nazarene), Kamiya Dambreville (Monroe College), Alexis Buie (Shippensburg) and Naomi Zulueta (Delaware State). They join four returning players from last season.
• IUP dominated Elizabeth City State and Virginia State on the road, outscoring the two opponents by a combined 82 points.
• Ashland is coming off an 81-77 home loss to Wayne State.
• Nyshae' Weaver leads IUP in scoring at 18.0 points per game.
• Weaver scored 26 points on 11-for-14 shooting, including a 3-pointer, against Virginia State.
• Bosch posted an efficient 14-point performance against Elizabeth City State, going 6-for-7 from the field.
SERIES HISTORY
Ashland leads the all-time series 7-4. The teams last met Dec. 19, 2024, with IUP falling 68-54 on the road. The Crimson Hawks struggled to generate offense and failed to capitalize on turnovers, resulting in their first loss of the 2024-25 season to then-No. 21 Ashland.
ASHLAND AT A GLANCE
Head coach Kari Pickens is in her 13th season leading the Eagles. She entered the year as the winningest NCAA women's basketball coach by winning percentage among coaches with at least 225 games. Ashland won the Great Midwest Athletic Conference title in 2024-25 and finished as the regional runner-up, falling to Grand Valley State in the championship game.
Ashley Mullet (17.0 ppg) and Lexi Howe (15.0 ppg) pace Ashland in scoring through two games. The Eagles have played two tight contests and hold a plus-1.5 scoring margin. Their results include a 68-61 win over Indianapolis and an 81-77 loss to Wayne State.
