Men's basketball seniors
Dante Lombardi and
Jacobo Diaz were named the IUP Athletes of the Week, announced Monday morning by the IUP Sports Information Office.
The duo helped the third-ranked IUP men's basketball team to a dominant 83-64 win at No. 18 Fairmont State Friday night in West Virginia. The Crimson Hawks improved to 10-0 with their third win over a top 25 opponent this season.
Lombardi finished with a team-high 22 points, scoring 20 of those in the second half alone as Fairmont State attempted a comeback. After a 14-5 run by the Falcons midway through the second half, Lombardi drained three 3-pointers to help lead an 11-1 run that put IUP on top by 15 points with six minutes to play.
Lombardi finished 8-of-17 shooting with four 3-pointers and four assists in 32 minutes. It was his second straight 20-point game and four of the season.
Diaz helped IUP come out on top with his fifth double-double of the season, finishing with 13 points and 12 rebounds. He opened the game with the Crimson Hawks' first three buckets in providing the early scoring punch as they took an 18-8 lead 11 minutes into the contest.
Diaz helped IUP outrebound Fairmont State 45-to-30 on the night, grabbing 10 on the defensive glass to limit the Falcons' second chance points to just two in the opening half.
This is the 10th career IUP weekly award for Diaz, including the third of the season. It's the fifth and third, respectively, for Lombardi.
