Jahzinga Tracey, Siarra Cornelius Spark IUP Past Shippensburg and First Place in PSAC West

Boxscore and play-by-play

Jahzinga Tracey scored 20 points and Siarra Cornelius added 15 points in only 16 minutes of action to lead IUP to an 83-72 win over Shippensburg and sole possession of first place in the PSAC West.

Katie Glaws tallied 14 points and Lauren Fisher had 13 to give IUP (14-6, 4-1) four players in double figures.  The Crimson Hawks moved 1/2 game ahead of Shippensburg in the division standings.

Lauren Beckley led all scorers with 26 points for the Red Raiders (14-7, 4-2).  Megan Fogle had 17 and Shanna Oaddams finished with 16.  Shippensburg committed 21 turnovers, including 11 on IUP steals.

Fisher added seven rebounds, five assists and three steals for IUP.  The Crimson Hawks continued their hot shooting from the free throw line, hitting 17 of 19 to make them a robust 32 of 36 (88.9 percent) in the last two games.

Tracey had her sixth 20-point game of the season and has been in double figures in 19 of 20 contests.  Cornelius, playing in just her third game since returning from a broken hand, sparked a second half surge with 11 points in the period, including nine in a stretch that turned a four-point lead into a 66-55 cushion with 5:32 left.

The first half was a seesaw battle that featured eight lead changes and five ties and ended with IUP holding a 37-35 edge on a layup by Cornelius as the clock hit all zeroes.

Neither team was able to build on more than a four-point lead over the first ten minutes of the second half.  Shippensburg held a lead by that margin at 49-45 on a layup by Oaddams with 12:12 to go before IUP surged in front.

Consecutive 3-pointers by Tracey and Hillary Shope gave the Crimson Hawks a 51-49 lead before the Red Raiders tied it for the final time on two free throws by Beckley.  IUP then used its defensive pressure to trigger a 9-0 run that put the Crimson Hawks in charge.

IUP went in front, 55-51, on baskets by Shope and Tracey, and then a steal by Tracey led to a layup by Cornelius.  Cornelius then made a steal of her own, drove for a layup and was fouled, with her free throw making it 60-51 at the 7:52 mark.

After Shippensburg pulled to within seven, Fisher made a steal and was fouled, hitting both shots.  A swipe by Tracey led to a pair of charity tosses by Cornelius that gave IUP its first double digit lead at 66-55.

A 3-pointer by Tracey with 3:51 left gave the Crimson Hawks a 69-57 lead, and the advantage did not dip below 10 the rest of the way.

IUP returns home on Wednesday for the final game of the first swing through the PSAC West when Lock Haven visits Memorial Field House for a 5:30 contest.