IUP Avenges Lone PSAC West Loss, Clinches Playoff Berth by Routing Slippery Rock

Boxscore and play-by-play

IUP became the first PSAC West team to secure a berth in the conference playoffs while avenging its only division loss of the season with a 94-65 rout of Slippery Rock Wednesday night at Memorial Field House.

The Crimson Hawks, ranked fifth in the latest NCAA East Region poll, improved to 18-6 and 8-1 in the PSAC West with their sixth straight win.  IUP can clinch its first division title since 1998-99 with a win at California on Saturday.

IUP lost at Slippery Rock, 62-59, on January 24 but has not lost since, with the streak beginning with a 69-50 victory over California three days later.

Jahzinga Tracey scored 23 points, one off her career high, while Lauren Fisher established a career best with 19 points.  Also hitting double figures for the Crimson Hawks were Katie Glaws with 17 and Hillary Shope with 13.

Tracey has scored 20 or more points in five of the past six games and added four assist, five steals and three blocked shots.  Glaws led IUP with nine rebounds and Fisher handed out seven assists and made three steals while committing only two turnovers.

IUP shot a robust 55.4 percent from the field, including 12 of 23 for 52.2 percent from 3-point range.  The 12 3-point field goals is a season high and tied for the fourth most ever made in a game in school history.

Amanda Nero led Slippery Rock (9-14, 3-6) with 15 points.  Chere' Marshall scored 13.

The game was never in  doubt, with IUP trailing only 2-0 after Marshall scored the first basket of the game.  A 3-pointer by Tracey put the Crimson Hawks in front just 45 seconds into the contest, and IUP went on to build a 19-4 margin by the 15:48 mark of the first half.

IUP led by as many as 23 over the opening 20 minutes and took a 49-29 lead into the locker room.  Tracey, Fisher, Glaws and Shope all had 10 points by halftime.

Slippery Rock was able to get within 13 at 58-45 but IUP went on a 12-1 run after that, including 3-pointers by Tracey and Glaws, and led 70-46 with 7:39 remaining in the game.  The margin was as high as 30 on three occasions.

IUP, which ended a 12-game losing streak against California in the first meeting of the year, will look to complete a season sweep over the Vulcans for the first time since 1998-99 when the teams meet on Saturday at Hamer Hall at 5 p.m.