Matt Durisko

Women's Basketball 1/11/2018 9:32:00 PM Chris Slack, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

14th-Ranked Fighting Scots Return Home For Matchup Against No. 3 IUP

Two national ranked teams collide at McComb Fieldhouse on Saturday, as Edinboro hosts Indiana(Pa.) in the first of two meeting this season. Edinboro currently ranks 14th in the WBCA Division II Top 25 poll and 22nd in the D2SIDA Division II national rankings. IUP is ranked third in the WBCA and is second in the D2SIDA rankings.
In their most recent outing, Edinboro outscored Gannon 32-9 in the second quarter on Wednesday, propelling the Fighting Scots to an 87-53 win over the Lady Knights in Erie. The win marked Edinboro's third straight over their local rival, and are now 7-3 against Gannon over the last ten meetings.
The Fighting Scots have had incredible success over the past seven seasons, with 20 wins each year and a combined 178-47 record in that span. This season, Edinboro won its first nine games to start the year, which was the second-longest win streak to start a campaign since the 24-game winning streak to during the 2011-12 season. The Fighting Scots head into the weekend having won four in a row.
Saturday's contest marks the fifth of six straight contests in Erie County. Following the contest against the Crimson Hawks, the Fighting Scots will host Clarion on Wednesday, January 17.
Edinboro was picked to finish third in the PSAC West Coaches' Preseason Poll. A year ago, they finished fourth in the Western Division at 21-9 and 16-6 in conference action, qualifying for the PSAC Tournament for the eighth straight season.
On December 2, head coach Stan Swank became the all-time winningest basketball coach in PSAC history, after his then 560th career victory over Mansfield, 81-54. In the win, he passed Charles Chronister of Bloomsburg for the most wins all-time by a men's basketball coach in the PSAC. In his 31 years at Edinboro, Swank has gone 567-302 overall, and entered the year ranked ninth among Division II coaches with 554 career wins.
Indiana(Pa.) was picked to finish atop the PSAC West in the PSAC Coaches' Preseason Poll. Last year, the Crimson Hawks finished second in the West during the regular season, but went on to win the PSAC Championship, marking their first title since the 2008-09 campaign. IUP's season ended in the second round of the NCAA Atlantic Region Championships to Virginia Union, thus ending the campaign at 24-7 and 18-4 in league play. The Crimson Hawks have made 11 consecutive PSAC Tournament appearances, and have qualified for the NCAA Tournament each of the past four seasons.
Last season, the visiting team prevailed on each others home court. The Fighting Scots ended a four-game streak to the Crimson Hawks with a 75-65 win at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex
Jontay Walton (18.6 ppg.), Michelle Jahn(13.8), Ciara Rosten (13.6), and Michaela Barnes (12.4) are each averaging double figures per contest this season. Combined, they are responsible for 58.4 points (71.6 percent) of the Scots 81.6 points they've averaged per game this year.

Edinboro on Radio/Video

The Edinboro-Indiana(Pa.) game can be heard on WFSE-FM 88.9. Dakota Palmer will be handling the play-by-play with Madison Gross providing color commentary. In addition, this year Edinboro is part of the PSAC Network. All men's and women's home basketball games will be streamed live through Stretch Internet.

All-Time Series vs. IUP

All-Time Series: Edinboro leads 49-42.
First Meeting: 1970-71 – Indiana (Pa.) 62, Edinboro 48
Last Meeting: February 11, 2017 – Indiana(Pa.) 79, Edinboro 63
Current Streak: IUP won the last meeting, including seven of the last eight.
Swank vs. Indiana(Pa.): 33-34

Last Meeting
February 11, 2017 – Indiana(Pa.) 79, Edinboro 63 BOX | RECAP

An Edinboro team with several players at less than 100 percent suffered its third loss in four games to Indiana(Pa.), 79-63.
IUP scored the first eight points in the game. Edinboro cut the Crimson Hawks lead to nine at the half, 37-28, as the Scots closed the stanza on a 7-1 run.
After three quarters, the Crimson Hawks led 58-45. With 7:12 left in the game, Edinboro started its rally, embarking on a 7-0 run. What was once a 12-point deficit at 63-51, would soon be a two-possession contest at 63-58. Michaela Barnes opened the run with a layup, followed by a Katie Fischer 3-pointer. Ciara Rosten capped it with a layup following an IUP turnover.
IUP's Lauren Wolosik answered with a 3-pointer, but another Rosten layup made the contest a six-point two-affair at 66-60. Unfortunately, the Crimson Hawks scored nine straight over the next two-and-a-half minutes, to take a commanding 75-60 lead.
The Fighting Scots shot 34.4 percent from the floor (22-of-64), while IUP converted on 59.6 percent (31-of-52) of their attempts. It marked the best shooting performance by an opposing team against Edinboro during the 2016-17 campaign.
The Crimson Hawks made nearly half of their 3-pointers (7-of-15), while Edinboro was 4-of-19 from beyond the arc. IUP went a perfect 10-for-10 on free throws, while the Fighting Scots went 11-for-15 at the charity stripe. They also held a 39-31 rebounding advantage. Edinboro forced IUP into 19 turnovers while committing just eight.
Fischer led Edinboro with 14 points, adding four assists. Rosten posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Barnes also finished with 10 points.
IUP had four players in double digits, led by Carolyn Appleby with 23 points. The guard added five rebounds and seven assists. Maura D'Anna contributed 17 points off the bench, with Megan Smith totaling 15 points and seven rebounds, and Lauren Wolosik finishing with 10 points and eight assists.

The Head Coaches
Edinboro: Stan Swank (Purdue '76) -- 567-302, 31st Year

Stan Swank is in his 31st season as the Edinboro women's basketball head coach. He has led the Fighting Scots to seven straight 20-win seasons, and is currently 178-47 overall during that period. In total, Swank has had 13 20-win seasons as Edinboro's head coach.
Swank is the all-time leader in victories among PSAC men's and women's coaches with 567 wins. He entered the campaign with 554 wins, which was the most wins by a women's basketball coach in PSAC history. He then passed former Bloomsburg men's basketball coach Charles Chronister for the men's title in Edinboro's 81-54 triumph at Mansfield.
Entering the 2017-18 season, Swank ranked ninth in Division II with 554 wins at Edinboro, and 41st in the NCAA. As a program, Edinboro ranked 13th all-time in Division II with 779 wins. Over the last five years, he has coached the Scots to a .733 winning percentage, which is 25th in Division II. Swank also ranks 38th in Division II history with a .648 winning percentage.
In his 31 years at Edinboro, he has led the Fighting Scots to four PSAC championship titles, and ten appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament. During March Madness, the Fighting Scots have made two Elite Eight appearances, three Sweet Sixteen births, and have made the Round of 32 on four occasions.

Indiana(Pa.): Tom McConnell (Point Park '84) – 102-30 at IUP, 5th Year; 187-135 overall, 16th Year

Head coach Tom McConnell is in his fifth season at the helm of the Crimson Hawks. He has guided IUP to the PSAC and NCAA Tournaments in all four years with the program.
McConnell is on track to guide the Crimson Hawks to three consecutive 20-win seasons.
Last season, IUP won its first PSAC Championship title since the 2008-09 season, as they defeated California(Pa.), 84-79 in Shippensburg.
Prior to IUP, McConnell spent seven seasons as the head men's basketball coach at St Francis (PA) and two seasons as an assistant women's coach at Division I Old Dominion.

The Fighting Scots
Probable Starters

P / No.	Player	Ht.	Yr.	Hometown	PPG / RPG
F / 20	Michelle Jahn	5-8	Jr.	Edinboro, Pa.	13.8 / 3.3
F / 12	Whitney Allen	6-1	Gr.	Dudley, United Kingdom	4.9 / 6.1
F / 15	Ciara Rosten	6-2	Sr.	Buffalo, N.Y.	13.6 / 10.7
G / 2	Michaela Barnes	5-6	So.	Chagrin Falls, Ohio	12.4 / 2.4
G / 5	Jontay Walton	5-6	R-Jr.	Buffalo, N.Y.	18.6 / 3.4

Top Reserves

F / 11	Cheniya Sharpe	5-11	Jr.	Springfield, Va.	6.2 / 7.2
F / 32	Allison Thompson	6-0	Jr.	Erie, Pa.	3.3 / 3.0
G / 1	Bridgette Shaffer	5-8	R-So.	Beaver Falls, Pa.	2.4 / 1.8
G / 24	Ayana Vaughn	5-8	R-Sr.	Beaver Falls, Pa.	3.1 / 1.1

Scouting the Fighting Scots

Edinboro heads into the IUP game at 13-1 overall, 9-1 in the PSAC West, and 6-0 at McComb Fieldhouse. Their lone loss of the year came by three points at No. 10 California(Pa.) on December 30, 74-71. Edinboro is currently ranked 14th in the WBCA Division II Top 25 and 22nd in the D2SIDA rankings.
Saturday's contest marks the Fighting Scots fifth over the last 11 days. Edinboro is currently riding a four-game winning streak, after using a 32-9 second quarter burst to defeat Gannon on Wednesday, 87-53. Prior to the matchup, the Fighting Scots concluded a three-game homestand on Monday, defeating Pitt-Johnstown (61-56), while also play Kutztown (86-65) last Saturday and Seton Hill (90-70) on January 3.
A year ago, Edinboro went 21-9 overall and 16-6 in conference play, finishing third in the PSAC standings. This year, the Fighting Scots were picked to finish third in the PSAC West Coaches' Preseason Poll. They currently sit in third place, behind California(Pa.) and Indiana(Pa.), who remain undefeated in PSAC action.
Edinboro leads the PSAC in scoring, and ranks 13th in Division II, at 81.6 ppg. They are also holding opponents to 60.6 ppg., for third in the conference.
The Fighting Scots have scored 80 or more points in all but three contests during the campaign, and have held every opponent this season to under 80 points. They are forcing 22.2 turnovers per game, a difference of +8.4 per game, which leads the PSAC, and ranks fourth in Division II. They also sit second in the conference in field goal percentage defense (35.7) and three-point field goal percentage (36.0).
Ciara Rosten grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds in the win over Gannon, and scored 14 points for her sixth double-double of the year. She also tied her career-high of six blocks, extending her streak of at least three blocks per game to eight. The 6'2" senior leads the PSAC with 3.8 blocks per game and 53 total blocks. She also ranks second nationally in blocks per game and is third in total blocked shots.
Michaela Barnes tied her career-high with 19 points in the win over the Lady Knights, shooting 6-of-12 from the field, and 3-of-4 on 3-pointers. The reigning PSAC West Freshman of the Year has averaged 16.0 ppg., over Edinboro's last five contests, connecting on 56.3 percent of her shots. For the year, she ranks fourth on the team in scoring at 12.4 ppg.
Jontay Walton has scored in double figures in all 14 contests this year. She leads the team with 18.6 ppg., which is fifth-best in the PSAC. Walton ranks second in the conference in total assists (60) and assists per game (4.3).
Michelle Jahn has moved up three spots on the all-time 3-point field goals made list this season. She entered the campaign ranked ninth, but currently sits in sixth place with 165 3-pointers made. Jahn leads Edinboro in 3-pointers on the season, shooting 33-of-87 from beyond the arc. Walton is a close second with 31-of-69 3-pointers converted.
Whitney Allen dished out a career-high six assists at Gannon, and scored in double digits for the second consecutive game with 10 points.

Scouting the Crimson Hawks

IUP is one of six undefeated teams in Division II. On Wednesday, the Crimson Hawks improved to 14-0 overall and 9-0 in the PSAC West, as they concluded a three-game homestand with a 79-61 win over East Stroudsburg. IUP is currently ranked third in the WBCA Top 25 and second in the D2SIDA poll.
Tom McConnell is in his fifth season as head coach at Indiana(Pa.). He has posted an 102-30 record with the Crimson Hawks, and has guided them to the PSAC Tournament and NCAA Tournament in each season at the helm.
The Crimson Hawks were picked to win the PSAC West in the PSAC Coaches' Preseason Poll. A year ago, IUP finished second in the regular season standings, but defeated California(Pa.) in the PSAC title game for their first title since the 2008-09 season. Their campaign ended against national runner-up Virginia Union in the second round of the Atlantic Region Championships with a 62-58 loss.
IUP ranks third in the conference in points per game (79.4), and is allowing a conference-low (52.0) in the PSAC. The Crimson Hawks are one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the country, making 39.2 percent of 3-pointers for ranking sixth in Division II and are fourth in 3-point defense at 24.1 percent. IUP has doubled their opponents on converted 3-pointers this season. The Crimson Hawks have shot 115-for-293 from long range.
They also lead the conference in field goal percentage (47.8), field goal percentage defense (33.4), scoring defense (52.0), scoring margin (+27.4), rebounds margin (+6.7) and assists per game (18.3).
Megan Smith, Carolyn Appleby and Lauren Wolosik headline IUP, as the three Crimson Hawks were named to the Western Division Second Team last season.
Smith leads the PSAC in 3-point shooting, connecting on 48.3 percent of her 3-pointers and 3.0 3-pointers per game. The 6'0" guard/forward also leads IUP in scoring with 17.9 ppg., which is sixth-best in the conference. Against East Stroudsburg, she posted her first double-double of the year with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Wolosik leads the PSAC with 5.4 apg., and ranks second in the conference with a +2.1 assist-turnover ratio. The 5'9" redshirt junior guard dished out a season-high 10 assists on Wednesday vs. ESU.
Appleby is second on the team in scoring and assists, averaging 13.7 ppg. and 3.5 apg.
Brittany Robinson has dominated the boards for IUP, averaging 7.5 rpg. The 6'0" junior forward is also leading the team with 18 blocks.
Maura D'Anna has provided the Crimson Hawks many second chance opportunities this season. The 6'0" sophomore forward has grabbed 67 total rebounds on the season, with 33 coming on the offensive glass.
Sophomore guard Jennifer Oduho is a native of Erie.

NEXT FOR THE FIGHTING SCOTS: Wednesday, January 17 vs. Clarion – 5:30 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#4 Katie Fischer: G; 5' 7"; Senior

#2 Michaela Barnes: G; 5' 6"; Freshman

#15 Ciara Rosten: F/C; 6' 2"; Junior

#12 Whitney Allen: F; 6' 1"; Graduate Student

#2 Michaela Barnes: G; 5' 6"; Sophomore

#20 Michelle Jahn: G; 5' 8"; Junior

#15 Ciara Rosten: F; 6' 2"; Senior

#11 Cheniya Sharpe: F; 5' 11"; Junior

#32 Allison Thompson: F; 6' 0"; Junior

#24 Ayana Vaughn: G; 5' 8"; Redshirt Senior

Players Mentioned

#4 Katie Fischer
: 5' 7"; Senior
: G

#2 Michaela Barnes
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: G

#15 Ciara Rosten
: 6' 2"; Junior
: F/C

#12 Whitney Allen
: 6' 1"; Graduate Student
: F

#2 Michaela Barnes
: 5' 6"; Sophomore
: G

#20 Michelle Jahn
: 5' 8"; Junior
: G

#15 Ciara Rosten
: 6' 2"; Senior
: F

#11 Cheniya Sharpe
: 5' 11"; Junior
: F

#32 Allison Thompson
: 6' 0"; Junior
: F

#24 Ayana Vaughn
: 5' 8"; Redshirt Senior
: G

Edinboro University Athletics

Scoreboard

Scoreboard

14th-Ranked Fighting Scots Return Home For Matchup Against No. 3 IUP

Players Mentioned

#4 Katie Fischer

#2 Michaela Barnes

#15 Ciara Rosten

#12 Whitney Allen

#2 Michaela Barnes

#20 Michelle Jahn

#15 Ciara Rosten

#11 Cheniya Sharpe

#32 Allison Thompson

#24 Ayana Vaughn

Players Mentioned

#4 Katie Fischer

#2 Michaela Barnes

#15 Ciara Rosten

#12 Whitney Allen

#2 Michaela Barnes

#20 Michelle Jahn

#15 Ciara Rosten

#11 Cheniya Sharpe

#32 Allison Thompson

#24 Ayana Vaughn