THE GAME AT A GLANCE
The Crimson Hawks have climbed to No. 8 in the national rankings and will open PSAC West play with a midweek matchup against Pitt-Johnstown.
The Mountain Cats were winless in PSAC crossover play until last weekend, when UPJ defeated Millersville and Shepherd in back-to-back home games.
The game features the top team in the PSAC West, the Crimson Hawks, who are 12-0 overall with six of those wins coming in conference play. Pitt-Johnstown enters the matchup at the bottom of the Western Division with a 5-8 overall record and a 2-4 mark in PSAC play under second-year head coach D'wan Shackleford-Vickroy.
TIPOFF NOTES
>>Nyshae' Weaver leads the team in scoring at 14.9 points per game while averaging 9.1 rebounds. IUP has two players scoring in double figures, including junior transfer Teresa Maggio, who is averaging 13.8 points per game and has started all 12 games for the Crimson Hawks.
>>Weaver has recorded three double-doubles this season, including two against top-20 teams. She has also grabbed at least 10 rebounds in five games. A spark plug on the court, Weaver leads the nation with a 70.83 percent shooting percentage from the field.
>>Teresa Maggio is a sharpshooter from behind the arc, making 26 three-pointers through six games. She is shooting 40 percent from three-point range and averaging two per game, including a season-high five in the Hawks' PSAC opener against Kutztown. Maggio also recorded a career-high seven steals in that game.
>>IUP is off to its best start to the season under head coach Craig Carey. The previous best was an 11-0 start in 2022-23 before the Hawks dropped a PSAC game to Mercyhurst. IUP ranked second in the country in scoring margin through 12 games, outscoring its opponents by an average of 31.2 points per game. The only team with a more lopsided average is Grand Valley State, the No. 1 team in Division II, which wins by an average of 32.1 points through the same number of games.
>>Senior slash player Ellie Wilkerson had the performance of her season in the Crimson Hawks' last game. The PSAC West Athlete of the Week scored a season-high 23 points on nine field goals while going 5-for-5 from behind the arc.
PITT-JOHNSTOWN AT A GLANCE
The Mountain Cats enter Wednesday's matchup at the bottom of the PSAC West standings. UPJ is 5-8 overall and won two of its six conference games last weekend, defeating Millersville and Shepherd in back-to-back contests.
The team is led by second-year head coach D'wan Shacckleford-Vickroy. Through 40 games under her leadership, UPJ has recorded eight wins, including five this season.
UPJ's top scorer is Liv West, who averages 15.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. West has played in 11 of the Mountain Cats' 13 games, starting 10. Another player in double figures is Riley Childress, who averages 11.3 points per game and leads the team with 29 steals.
SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series between the Crimson Hawks and the Mountain Cats is close, with IUP holding a 28-27 edge. The Hawks have won all four meetings over the past two seasons, with their last loss coming in February 2023.
Even during a down year last season, UPJ pushed IUP to overtime in the teams' Feb. 12 matchup at Johnstown. The Crimson Hawks pulled away in overtime for a 79-67 victory.
Under head coach Craig Carey, IUP has lost just once in seven games against Pitt-Johnstown.
