JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The IUP women's basketball program defeated the Pitt-Johnstown Mountain Cats, 79-67, in a nerve-wracking overtime contest. 
 
IUP increased their record to 17-4 overall and 12-3 in the PSAC. The Crimson Hawks shot .545 from the field, racked up 11 steals, and totaled 20 points off of turnovers. 
 
Shamia Strayhorn led the charge for the Crimson Hawks, scoring 26 points, and shooting .688 from the field. Nyshae' Weaver contributed 15 points to the cause, and Janeira Scott, the winning force in overtime, added 13 points and three steals. Weaver led IUP in rebounds with seven, followed by Grace Centrulla with six.
 
Wilkerson sparked a run for the Crimson Hawks with a good drive, followed by subsequent layups from Centrulla and Strayhorn. For two and a half minutes, each team took turns rebounding each other's missed shots, until two made free throws from Scott ended the scoring drought. Marin Miller increased the Hawk's lead by five with an and one layup, but the Mountain Cats responded with a three pointer of their own. In the final two minutes of the first quarter, UPJ added four points, jumping in front of IUP, 19-18. 
 
UPJ opened up the second quarter with a three-pointer, and the back-and-forth scoring continued on from the first quarter. Two back-to-back layups from Scott and Strayhorn at minute 3:15 gave IUP their first lead of the quarter. Once again, the Mountain Cats responded with six points of their own, edging IUP. With eight seconds left, Ellie Wilkerson made a needed steal, and Weaver scored a basket, cutting Johnstown's lead down to one point. 
 
Weaver scored the first basket of the third quarter, giving IUP the lead over Johnstown. Right after Weaver's basket, she grabbed a steal, and Strayhorn added to their total. The lead changed between the teams until a made layup and free throw from Wilkerson started a run for the Crimson Hawks, with baskets contributed from Miller, Lily Jordan, and Strayhorn pushing IUP ahead, 53-45. 
 
The teams traded baskets at the beginning of the fourth until IUP went on a 6-0 run to get ahead, 63-56, with three minutes to go. Pitt-Johnstown went on their own 9-0 run that put them back in the lead at the 0:19 mark. After a timeout, taken by IUP, Weaver was able to find the basket, which tied the game at 65 points apiece. A missed layup by UPJ forced overtime.
 
IUP entered overtime with their aces, and a made three-pointer from Scott put the Crimson Hawks in a good position quickly. Defensive pressure forced a turnover from UPJ, and this led to two consecutive layups from Strayhorn and Centrulla. Four straight free throws from Scott, and a layup from Weaver sealed the fate for the Mountain Cats, with a large 13-point lead with only a minute and a half left. UPJ scored their first and only basket in overtime with 41 seconds left on the clock, resulting in a hard-fought win for the Crimson Hawks, 79-67. 
 
Up Next
IUP will host the Edinboro Fighting Scots for senior day at the KCAC on Saturday, February 15 at 1:00 p.m.
 
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For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on X (Twitter) @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.