EDINBORO, Pa. - No. 14 Edinboro and No. 3 Indiana(Pa.) combined for ten ties and 13 leads changes on Saturday, but the Fighting Scots suffered their first loss of the season at McComb Fieldhouse, 74-68. With the loss, the Fighting Scots fall to 13-2 overall and 9-2 in the PSAC West, while the Crimson Hawks remains undefeated, improving to 15-0 on the season and 10-0 in conference action.
Edinboro entered the contest ranked 14th in the WBCA Division II Top 25 poll and 22nd in the D2SIDA Division II national rankings. IUP ranks third in the WBCA and second in the D2SIDA poll.
Neither team led by more than six points in the game. While the Crimson Hawks won the contest by six points, their largest lead prior to the final buzzer was at 14-8 with 1:30 remaining in the first quarter. The Fighting Scots responded with a 15-4 run, which extended into the second quarter. During the run, they claimed a five-point lead at 23-18 with 6:26 remaining until halftime.
Both teams ended the first half knotted at 33 points apiece, and Edinboro trailed 53-50 going into the fourth quarter. Over the first 30 minutes of action, both teams struggled from long range. The Fighting Scots were held to 3-of-10 on 3-pointers, while the Crimson Hawks made only 2-of-8 attempts.
With 5:24 left in the game,
Michelle Jahn connected on her second 3-pointer of the day, cutting Edinboro's deficit to one-point at 60-59. Her basket ignited the Fighting Scots offensively, as
Ciara Rosten scored Edinboro's next four points on a layup and jumper, for a 63-62 lead. It was also the Fighting Scots first lead since 46-45 at the 3:18 mark of the third quarter.
Over the next 2:41, each team exchanged baskets. With 59 seconds left in the game and IUP up 66-65, Carolyn Appleby made a layup and increased the Crimson Hawk lead to 68-65. On Edinboro's next possession, she forced Barnes into a turnover, and converted the steal on a fast break layup for a five-point lead and put IUP up five points. The Fighting Scots fouled the Crimson Hawks on two occasions, sending Appleby to the line each time. The 5'5" junior guard secured the win, as she went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.
Edinboro shot 43.3 percent (26-of-60) from the field, and made 4-of-14 on 3-pointers. IUP was held to 43.9 percent (29-of-66) on the day, and 2-of-9 from beyond the arc. The Fighting Scots converted 12-of-14 free throws and the Crimson Hawks went 14-for-16 at the charity stripe.
IUP entered Saturday's contest ranked sixth in Division II in three-point shooting (39.2), fourth in three-point defense (24.1), and had doubled their opponents on converted 3-pointers this season, shooting 115-for-293 from long range.
Rosten led the Scots in scoring with a season-high 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting. The 6'2" senior forward also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, collected four assists and blocked two shots. Barnes put up double digits with 13 points and went 5-for-6 on her free throws.
Three Crimson Hawks scored in double figures. Smith shot 9-of-18 from the field for 22 points, to go with seven rebounds and two blocks. Appleby contributed 18 points and two steals, while Denman scored 11 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots.
IUP had an 8-2 advantage in blocks, but the Crimson Hawks edged Edinboro, 39-36 in rebounds, 40-36 in points in the paint and 13-9 in bench points. The Fighting Scots outscored IUP, 11-7 in 2nd chance points, 15-14 in points off turnovers, and had one more assist with 13. Each team had six steals.
The Fighting Scots are back in action on Wednesday against Clarion. Tip-off at McComb Fieldhouse is set for 5:30 p.m.
