Senior men's basketball players
Jacobo Diaz and
Dante Lombardi were named the IUP Athletes of the Week, announced Monday morning by the IUP Sports Information Office.
The duo led the third-ranked Crimson Hawks to three wins last week as they improved their overall record to 6-0 on the season. It's the eighth career IUP weekly award for Diaz and the third for Lombardi.
Diaz averaged 19.3 points and 10.3 rebounds during the week, including a pair of double-doubles against Westminster and Le Moyne. He shot 56.8 percent (21-of-37) from the field and 14-of-15 from the foul line in the three games.
He scored a season-high 29 points on 9-of-13 shooting in just 31 minutes in a 106-77 win over Westminster, grabbing 10 boards. He also had 11 points and 11 rebounds in all 40 minutes in the 60-48 win over Le Moyne. The win was the biggest of the year for the Crimson Hawks, as Le Moyne entered with a 4-1 record and are coming off a 2018 NCAA Elite Eight appearance.
Lombardi averaged 14.7 points and 6.0 assists in the three IUP wins, including a team-best 15 points in the win over Le Moyne. He was the offensive catalyst in the second half comeback win, scoring 13 of his points in the final 20 minutes with three huge 3-pointers. He finished 8-of-16 from 3-point land for the week.
Lombardi just missed a double-double of his own with 18 points and nine assists in the win over Westminster, shooting 7-of-10 from the field in that game.
