INDIANA, Pa.- Anna McTamney (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) posted a team-high 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field but it was a second-half surge by No. 11 IUP (9-0, 4-0), which lifted the Crimson Hawks past upset-minded West Chester (5-5, 2-2) by a final of 73-63 on Monday evening.
West Chester led throughout much of the first half but an early second-half run, combined with a strong effort at the free throw line down the stretch in the fourth quarter allowed IUP to erase a nine-point first half deficit and eventually pull away for a 10-point league victory in both team's final game ahead of the DII Holiday Break, which begins tomorrow.
McTamney was one of four Golden Rams in double figures on Monday night as she was joined by
Emily McAteer (Thornton, Pa./Garnet Valley), Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) and Michelle Kozicki (Wilmington, Del./Padua) with 12 points each. McAteer also pulled down a team-high 13 rebounds, which allowed her to notch her team-best sixth double double of the season.
Along with her 12 points, Johnson contributed in her usual way, adding a team-best seven assists, continuing to show herself as one of the top facilitators in all of Division II women's basketball.
West Chester led for much of the first half, leading by as many as nine points with under a minute to play in the second quarter before IUP got a pair of quick baskets at the end of the half to cut the deficit to 32-28 heading into the halftime break.
IUP opened the second half on a 14-4 run over the first five minutes of action thanks to seven from Maria Cerro and five from Kiera Baughman, who ended the game as the Crimson Hawks leading scorer with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field, including a 2-for-7 effort from deep. This early run gave IUP a 42-36 lead, which the Crimson Hawks would never fully relinquish as they denied the Golden Ram upset bid.
West Chester nearly came all the way back early in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to just three points in the early stages of the fourth following a made layup by
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) before cutting it to three again after a 2-for-2 effort at the line by
Briana Seltzer (Reading, Pa./Reading) but IUP managed the comeback effort, eventually stretching the lead to as many as 10 in the closing seconds, thanks to efficient trips to the line down the stretch as West Chester worked to get the clock back on its side late in the fourth.
While neither team shot particularly well on the night, with both sides shooting below 40 % from the field, West Chester did end the game with a slim 36.1 % (26-of-72) to 35.9 % (23-of-64) field-goal percentage, although it was IUP who shot better from deep, going 10-for-24 from range compared to a 3-of-17 effort by the Golden Rams. IUP also made the most of its trips to the line, going 17-for-19 at the stripe, including a perfect 8-for-8 at the line in the final 1:11 of regulation.
IUP ended the game with a slim 49-41 lead in rebounding, although West Chester did manage to end the contest with a 12-9 lead in second-chance points after corralling 13 offensive rebounds in the setback. West Chester also ended the game with a 36-14 lead in points in the paint and a 13-7 advantage in points off the break while the WCU bench provided the lone bench points off the night for either side.
For IUP, Baughman led the team in scoring with 20 points as all five starters scored in double figures with Gina Adams chipping in 19 while Teirra Preston and Cerro finished with 12 each to go along with a 10-point effort by Alana Cardona. Preston and Cardona both logged double-doubles as well, finishing with 16 and 12 rebounds, respectively.
Up Next:
West Chester will now have a 10-day layoff before its next matchup vs Seton Hill on Friday, December 30
th beginning at 3:30 p.m. inside Hollinger Field House.
