GAME 30 NCAA ATLANTIC REGION FIRST ROUND

IUP (26-3 | PSAC Champion) vs Charleston  (21-10 | MEC Champion) 
Friday, March 13, 2026 | 5:00 p.m
Indiana, Pa | Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex

Stream: NCAA.Com with Eric Thomas and Tyler Polk 
Radio: U92.5 FM with Jack Benedict and Tony Coccagna

THE GAME AT A GLANCE
The IUP Crimson Hawks women's basketball are back in the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament, this time as the No. 1 seed and host of the Atlantic Regional.
It marks the first time the Crimson Hawks will host the regional since the 2020 season, when the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

IUP enters the tournament fresh off a PSAC Women's Basketball Championship victory and currently sits at No. 4 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association national rankings.

The Crimson Hawks will open regional play Friday at 5 p.m. against the Charleston Golden Eagles women's basketball, the champions of the Mountain East Conference, who enter the tournament as the No. 8 seed.

TIPOFF NOTES
>> At this point in his tenure, head coach Craig Carey records the third appearance of making the NCAA Tournament since being elevated to head coach in the 2022-23 season.
>> IUP held the second-most accurate offense in the entirety of Division II in the regular season. The Crimson Hawks wielded an uber-efficient .501 field goal percentage.
>> IUP also finished the regular season with a top-ten scoring offense. The Crimson Hawks 79.0 points-per-game scored was ninth best in Division II.
>> IUP has three All-PSAC selections: Athlete of the Year Shae Weaver, first-team All-PSAC guard Teresa Maggio and second-team forward Ellie Wilkerson.
>> Head coach Craig Carey was named PSAC West Coach of the Year after leading the Crimson Hawks to a regional ranking for all but one week of the season. IUP spent much of the second half of the season ranked in the top five and top 10 as well.
>> Senior Nyshae Weaver of the IUP Crimson Hawks women's basketball was named First Team All-Atlantic Region by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association.

CHARLESTON AT A GLANCE
Charleston Golden Eagles women's basketball enters the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament as the No. 8 seed after winning the Mountain East Conference Tournament.

The Golden Eagles are led by second-year head coach Bubby Johnson. Charleston finished the season with 21 wins and made an upset run through the MEC Tournament to secure the conference's automatic bid.

The team is led by Paris Stokes, who averages more than 14 points per game. Charleston also faced three teams from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West this season, going 1–2 with its lone victory coming against the Slippery Rock Rock women's basketball in the season opener.

SERIES HISTORY
The IUP Crimson Hawks women's basketball and the Charleston Golden Eagles women's basketball have met 12 times in program history, with IUP holding a 7–5 advantage in the series. This will be the first meeting between the two teams in the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament.

The last matchup between the programs came in November 2009, when Charleston defeated IUP 79–66.

The two programs sit atop the Atlantic Region rankings, with the championship game likely determining which school will host an Atlantic Regional next weekend. Gannon moved ahead of IUP in both the regional and national rankings following its victory over the Crimson Hawks on Feb. 28. The average margin between the teams this season is seven points, with Gannon winning by nine and IUP claiming a five-point victory at the Highmark Events Center on Jan. 17.

D2CCA ALL-REGION
Shae Weaver was named PSAC Athlete of the Year and D2CCA All-Region. She ranks third in the nation in field goal percentage and leads the team in scoring, rebounds and assists. Weaver became a member of IUP's 1,000-rebound club on Feb. 21 against Clarion. She is just the third player in program history to reach the milestone.

PSAC WEST COACH OF THE YEAR
Head coach Craig Carey was named PSAC West Coach of the Year in his fourth season leading the Crimson Hawks. Carey has won 86 games in his first four seasons, including a season-high 24 this year. He guided IUP to a 3-1 record against ranked teams this season and a 14-1 mark at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex.

ALL PSAC PERFORMERS
IUP had two more representatives on the All-PSAC teams, as Teresa Maggio was named to the first team in her first season with the Crimson Hawks. The junior transfer established herself as one of the top shooters in the conference, shooting nearly 40% from 3-point range. She recorded 15 games with multiple 3-pointers.

Ellie Wilkerson was named second-team All-PSAC, earning all-conference honors for the first time. She averaged 10.4 points per game this season while shooting 36% from 3-point range.