2015 PSAC Championship - Semifinals
West No. 3 IUP Crimson Hawks (25-5, 17-5 PSAC) 
vs. East No. 1 East Stroudsburg Warriors (19-9, 16-6 PSAC) 
Saturday, March 7, 2015 | 1:00 p.m. 
Hammermill Center | Erie, Pa.  

IUP Game Notes (PDF)
Live Stats: GannonSports.com | Fan Stats 
Live Audio: WQMU 92.5 FM | u92radio.com
Live Video: America One Sports | Free Webstream
Tickets

AT A GLANCE
The Crimson Hawks head back to Erie as they face off against East Stroudsburg in the semifinals of the 2015 PSAC Men's Basketball Championships on Saturday at Gannon. IUP enters as the third seed in the West and is currently on a five-game win streak, including wins in the tournament's first and quarterfinal rounds. ESU won the East and comes in as the top seed from that division.  

HOW THEY GOT HERE
The Crimson Hawks advanced in the tournament with wins over sixth-seeded UPJ last Saturday and second-seeded Mercyhurst on Tuesday. ESU received a first round bye as a result of earning the top seed and defeated fourth-seeded Millersville this past Wednesday. 

THE BRACKET
Weekend host and West top seed Gannon will play Kutztown, the third-seed from the East, on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The winners of both semifinal games will play for the PSAC championship on Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
IUP earned its 32nd all-time PSAC tournament victory with a 67-59 win over Mercyhurst in Erie on Tuesday night. Gr. G Shawn Dyer (Marion, Ohio/Marion Harding) had a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds while Sr. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) added 16 points and 6 boards. 

IUP IN THE PSAC TOURNAMENT
This is IUP's 28th all-time PSAC tournament appearance, including its 8th straight under HC Joe Lombardi. IUP is 12-4 in the conference tournament since 2008, with PSAC titles in 2010, 2011 and 2013. IUP is third all-time in conference history with nine PSAC championships, also winning it in 1960, 1974, 1995, 2000, 2002 and 2004. 

THE ESU MATCHUP
The Crimson Hawks defeated ESU 78-63 on the road back on Jan. 3. It was IUP's sixth win in the last seven matchups between these two schools, including PSAC tournament wins in 2010 and 2011. IUP is 7-3 against the Warriors nine seasons under HC Joe Lombardi. 

ALL THINGS NEUTRAL
IUP is 6-1 all-time in neutral site PSAC tournament games, with its last win coming over Kutztown in the 2010 title game in East Stroudsburg. The lone loss came to West Chester at Bloomsburg in 1998. 

NCAA LOOK-AHEAD
The 2015 NCAA Division II Championships will start on Saturday, March 14 with the first round of regional play. The top seed in each region will serve as a host with the field of 64 being unveiled on Sunday night, March 8 at 10:30 p.m.

NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS
The top eight teams remained the same as the Division II Atlantic Region rankings were released on Wednesday afternoon. Regional power West Liberty currently holds onto the top spot as the Hilltoppers compete in the Mountain East tournament in Charleston, W. Va. this weekend. 

Atlantic Region Rankings
1. West Liberty
2. IUP          
3. Gannon   
4. Mercyhurst  
5. Bowie State
6. Fairmont State
7. Slippery Rock
8. Concord

IUP IN THE POLLS
The Crimson Hawks moved up to No. 20 in Tuesday's release of the NABC coaches' top 25 poll. IUP has been ranked in 12 of the 13 weekly polls this season.   
 
PSAC WEST ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Sr. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year this week. The co-captain is 6th in the league with 16.2 ppg and 16th in Division II at 5.8 apg. His 174 assists this year is 3rd most in a season at IUP. He's the fifth player in program history to earn the PSAC's top honor. 

THE 1000/400 CLUB
Chance is one of four players in IUP history to score 1000 points and dish out 400 assists for a career. He's the school's all-time leader with 469 assists and is 21st with 1138 points. He's joined in the club by Ashton Smith (1635, 456), Eddie Peterson (1621, 425) and Yancey Taylor (1257, 406). 

2-FOR-60
The Crimson Hawks are the only team in the PSAC with two players with more than 60 made 3's in Chance and Gr. G Shawn Dyer (Marion, Ohio/Marion Harding). The backcourt tandem has combined to shoot 136-351 (.387) from long range. 

DYER'S POSTSEASON SUCCESS
Dyer, a 2nd team All-PSAC West pick, has a 22-3 career record in postseason games, including his three years at West Liberty. He's averaging 16.5 ppg with a 52.1 FG% in those games, including 20.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and a 58.3 FG% (14-24) in IUP's two PSAC tournament games this season. 

LOW POST POWER
Jr. F Daddy Ugbede (Gardena, Calif./Serra) has been strong in the post all year, averaging 11.2 ppg with a 66.7 FG%. He's gone for 20 points twice in the last six games and is averaging 6.5 rpg over IUP's last eight contests. 

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Crimson Hawks are at their best when the defense performs well as they are 10-1 when holding opponents under 60 points and 22-3 when opponents score less than 70 points in a game. ESU has been held under 70 just twice this season, scoring 63 points against IUP on Jan. 3 and then again at Cal on Jan. 7. 

SCOUTING EAST STROUDSBURG
The Warriors boast the top scoring offense in the PSAC, averaging nearly 84 points per contest this year. They're led by PSAC East Athlete of the Year in Sr. G Matt Tobin. The PSAC leader with 6.4 apg, he's also tops in the East with a 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio and 63 steals. He's joined in the backcourt by Sr. G Whis Grant and Jr. G Jamal Nwaniemeka, who each average 13.0 ppg. ESU's main source of scoring comes from the three-pointer as the Warriors lead the league with 9.2 made 3's per game. Five different players have made at least 21 from long range, with Grant knocking down a team-high 57. ESU has scored 79 or more points in seven of its last 10 games, including 81 against Kutztown, another PSAC semifinal team.