The IUP women's basketball team is all set to kick off their conference journey this weekend at the renowned Kovalchick Convention & Athletic Complex. With exciting matchups against the Shippensburg Raiders on November 22 at 3:00 PM and the Lock Haven Bald Eagles on November 23 at 1:00 PM, fans are in for a treat.

Game Highlights and Player Performances

In their opening weekend, the Crimson Hawks showed dominance against Salem (WV.) and Virginia State, winning both games with scores of 72-55 and 62-54 respectively. This past Monday, during Education Day against Penn State Beaver, freshman Lily Jordan led the bench with 14 points on 6-8 shooting from the field and six rebounds. Marin Miller, a transfer from Millersville, contributed nine rebounds, three assists, and a block. Delaware State transfer Naomi Zulueta totaled eight rebounds, four assists, and six points. Freshman Madison Zavasky was second in points with 12, adding nine rebounds, three assists, three steals, and one block. Monroe College transfer Kamiya Dambreville made her first IUP game appearance, going 3-3 from the field and contributing six points. Portland State transfer Chimera Iloanya led the team in rebounds with 12 of her own, despite a tough time in the paint. Freshman Tessa Seagreaves also made her collegiate debut, shooting and making a three-pointer with ten seconds left in the game. The starters also had a successful day, with Nyshae’ Weaver and Ellie Wilkerson posting nine points each, and Shamia Strayhorn adding eight points and seven assists combined.

Series History Against Shippensburg

This Friday marks IUP's 65th matchup against the Shippensburg Raiders. Since 2011, IUP has been on a ten-game win streak against them. The last loss to Shippensburg was in 2010. Over the years, IUP has scored a total of 4,520 points against the Raiders, averaging 70.62 points per game. Currently, Shippensburg is ranked 7th in the PSAC East with an overall record of 1-2.

Shippensburg at a Glance

The Shippensburg Raiders started their season with the Conference Challenge Tournament (PSAC vs. CIAA). They were defeated by the #10 Fayetteville Broncos with a score of 48-72. The following day, they defeated the Lincoln Lions 64-51. However, they faced a loss against Holy Family with a score of 42-63. Shippensburg is averaging 51.3 points per game, 29.3 rebounds per game, and 11.7 turnovers per game. Their shooting percentages are.336 from the field,.385 from the arc, and.696 from the line. Last year, they had a tough season, going 6-22 overall and 5-17 in the conference.

Series History Against Lock Haven

On Saturday, IUP will host their 69th game against Lock Haven. IUP aims to extend their win streak against the Bald Eagles to 19 games, which started in 2008. The most recent loss to Lock Haven occurred last December. IUP has scored 5,011 points against the Bald Eagles, averaging 72.62 points per game. Lock Haven is ranked 2nd in the PSAC East with an overall record of 3-1 and 4th in the NCAA DII Atlantic Region.

Scouting the Lock Haven Bald Eagles

Lock Haven has had a successful start to their season. They opened with the PSAC/MEC Challenge, winning their first game against Concord 84-67 and losing the second against Fairmont State 70-78. They then won against Frostburg 82-78 and Roberts Wesleyan 65-45. Beginning their conference play on Friday against Pitt-Johnstown, followed by IUP on Saturday, Lock Haven is averaging 75.3 points per game, 42.5 rebounds per game, and 14.5 turnovers per game. Their shooting percentages are.413 from the field,.235 from the arc, and.752 from the line. Last year, they had a dominant season, going 29-4 overall and 21-1 in the conference, with their only conference loss coming from the West Chester Rams 49-58.

Home Court Advantage

Since the opening of the KCAC in the 2011-12 season, IUP has had an outstanding home court advantage. With a record of 168-29 in home games during this period, they have not lost more than four home games in a single season. At the KCAC, the IUP women have won 13 of 15 games in 2023-24, 13 of 17 games in 2022-23 and 2021-22.

Education Day

IUP hosted their annual Education Day against Penn State Beaver. Students from kindergarten to eighth grade from local school districts attended and participated in an educational presentation by Fulbright. After the presentation, they stayed to watch the Crimson Hawks take on the Nittany Lions. IUP has an impressive record of 10-0 in Education Day games, winning by an average margin of 47 points. In recent Education Day games, they have crushed opponents like Mount Aloysius 101-35 in 2021-22, Rosemont 102-20 in 2022-23, and Penn State New Kensington 101-21 in 2023-24. This year, they continued the trend by defeating Penn State Beaver 86-30.

How Does IUP Size Up to Their Opponents?

IUP can expect a challenging but successful weekend against their opponents. Shippensburg's top point scorer, Mia Johnson, is averaging 10.3 points per game, 27.3 minutes per game, and 2.0 rebounds per game. She has 8 turnovers, 7 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, and only 1 personal foul. After three games, the Raiders have a scoring margin of -10.7. The top point scorer for the Lock Haven Bald Eagles is Kiera Baughman, averaging 15.5 points per game, 32.8 minutes per game, and 4.0 rebounds per game. She has 15 turnovers, 11 assists, 10 personal fouls, and 2 steals across four games. Lock Haven's scoring margin is 8.3. IUP's top point scorer is Shamia Strayhorn, averaging 12.3 points per game, 29.3 minutes per game, and 4.3 rebounds per game. She has 10 assists, 7 turnovers, 5 personal fouls, 4 steals, and 1 block. The Crimson Hawks have an overall scoring margin of 27.0.

Non-Conference Excellence

IUP has six non-conference games scheduled for the 2024-25 season. The first two games were on opening weekend against Salem (WV) and Virginia State. After Monday's game against Penn State Beaver, their next non-conference game will be against Goldey-Beacom on Sunday, December 15. Their history with Goldey-Beacom is short, with only four games played. The first contest was in 2010, resulting in a 73-42 win for IUP. Against the Ashland Eagles, IUP's record is 4-6, with their last competition in March 2018 in the NCAA Elite 8 Semifinals ending in a tough 68-92 loss. Their final non-conference game is against Daemen on January 3rd. With only two games played against Daemen, the first in 1999 and the second in 2024 after a 25-year hiatus, IUP is looking to improve their record to 3-0 against the Wildcats this season.