SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – The IUP women’s basketball program slides by after a late surge from Shepherd, 71-68 Friday afternoon. With this win the Hawks boost to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the PSAC.
Nyshae’ Weaver had herself a night after she posted a career-high of 26 points, shot 12-13 from the field, grabbed 16 rebounds, and had three assists and steals. Grace Centrulla added 12 points, two three-pointers, six rebounds and assists, and a block. Shamia Strayhorn and Ellie Wilkerson each chipped in 11 points, with Wilkerson also grabbing six rebounds, two assists, a block, and two steals.
Centrulla opened the scoring for the Hawks with a jumper on their first possession. IUP jumped to a 10-point lead within three minutes, limiting Shepherd to just two points while capitalizing on two steals. The Rams closed the gap to six points with five quick points in the final minute of the first quarter. Weaver led IUP with eight points on perfect shooting and six rebounds in the opening period.
The second quarter saw a scoring drought lasting nearly three minutes at the seven-minute mark. Centrulla broke the dry spell with a jumper, followed by two free throws from Zavasky. Layups from Zavasky and Jordan extended IUP’s lead before Shepherd responded with back-to-back three-pointers, narrowing the Hawks’ advantage to six at halftime.
Shepherd came out strong in the third quarter, sinking a three-pointer and converting a steal into a layup within the first 30 seconds, cutting the deficit to three. Weaver answered with two consecutive layups, but Shepherd fought back, eventually taking their first lead of the game with a jumper at the 4:40 mark. The teams traded the lead a few times and IUP capped off the third quarter up 53-48 from four made free throws.
In the final quarter, Centrulla hit her first three-pointer at the 8:17 mark to push IUP’s lead to nine. Shepherd fought back, tying the game at 61 with under five minutes remaining. Weaver broke the tie with a basket, followed by another clutch three-pointer from Centrulla, assisted by Scott, giving IUP a one-point lead with 2:15 left.
IUP closed the game with three key steals and four made free throws to secure their sixth win this season, remaining undefeated.
Up Next
IUP closes out the weekend with a matchup against West Chester Saturday, December 7 at 1:00 p.m.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women’s basketball on X (Twitter) @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.
