Edinboro, Pa. – The Edinboro women's basketball team dropped a 71-65 decision to visiting IUP on Saturday in PSAC West action inside McComb Fieldhouse.
The Crimson Hawks jumped out to an early 5-2 lead after a Marin Miller triple. The Scots answered with a 12-0 run keyed by eight points from
Hope Garrity to grab a 14-5 lead with 4:41 on the clock. IUP trimmed the lead to 19-15 with a 10-5 spurt capped by a Teresa Maggio 3-pointer.
Maura Suman hit a jumper and
Rachael Manfredo made a layup to give Edinboro a 23-15 lead after the first.
Ava Haddad extended the Edinboro advantage to 26-17 early in the second quarter converting an and-one at the 9:16 mark. The Crimson Hawks responded with an 11-3 run pulling within 29-28 with 3:10 left in the second. The teams traded free throws before
Taylor Phillips connected on a triple to put Edinboro up 34-30 with 1:39 left in the second. IUP scored seven straight points to take a 37-34 lead. Haddad split a pair of free throws with less than a second left in the half to cut the deficit to 37-35 at the break.
In the second half, the IUP lead grew to 40-35 after an Elie Wilkerson layup at the 6:35 mark. Haddad scored three points at the free throw line and
Carla Brown netted a layup at the 4:40 mark to knot the score 40-40. The Crimson Hawks scored the next six points to take a 46-40 lead after a Wilkerson bucket at 3:01. The Scots answered back with six straight of their own including a Garrity 3-pointer to level the score 46-46 with 2:00 left in the third. The teams traded two points each before Phillips put the Scots up 50-42 hitting a jumper with 17 seconds left in the third quarter.
IUP scored the first four points of the fourth taking a 52-50 lead with 8:28 to play. Manfredo tied the game with a jumper at the 7:57 mark. Miller put the Crimson Hawks up 54-52 and Wilkerson extended the lead to 55-52 splitting a pair of free throws with 7:13 left.
Taylor Blunt pulled the Scots within one, 55-54, with a jumper at the 5:36 mark. IUP went on a 9-2 spurt to take a 64-56 lead after a Miller trey with 3:10 to play. The Scots closed the gap to three, 66-63, after a Manfredo free throw, but IUP went 5-of-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to hold of the Edinboro push.
Haddad paced the Edinboro offense with 22 points to go with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Manfredo was just shy of a double-double with 13 points and nine boards as well as two blocks and two steals. Garrity also notched 13 points.
Maggio led IUP with 16 points. Miller finished with 15 points while Nyshae' Weaver finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.
The Scots return to action on Wednesday when they visit Gannon for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff with the Golden Knights.
