Boxscore
Darryl Webb (Elkridge, Md./Long Reach) scored 20 points and grabbed 16 rebounds and four other IUP players reached double figures in a 76-59 victory over Thiel in the season opener for both teams Monday at Memorial Field House.
Ashton Smith (Scarborough, ON/West Hill Collegiate) added 13 points for the Crimson Hawks, ranked second in the nation in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II preseason poll.
Julian Sanders (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) and
Willi Estrella (Santiago, Dominican Republic/Escuela sto Hermano Miguel) also reached double digits with 12 points each.
Smith and
Kevin Stewart (Philadelphia, Pa./Academy Park) both dished out four assists with Stewart adding three steals. IUP held a 44-36 edge on the glass and held the Tomcats to 36.7 percent shooting from the floor. The Crimson Hawks also forced 21 turnovers.
Anthony Harvey came off the bench to lead Thiel with 16 points. Aundra Jones and Ladell Trotty both scored 13 and combined for 14 rebounds.
Webb, a consensus All-American last season who is on several preseason watch lists this year, began his senior campaign with his 39th career double-double and increased his school-record rebounding total to 906. He also became the sixth player in IUP history to reach the 1,400-point plateau, finishing the night with 1,412.
IUP never trailed and used a 9-0 run that began and ended with 3-pointers by Sanders to build a 27-16 lead with 7:59 left in the first half. The cushion stayed between nine and 13 the rest of the period, and the Crimson Hawks took a 35-24 lead into intermission, with Webb scoring 12 points and pulling down nine rebounds over the opening 20 minutes.
IUP's lead stayed above double figures the entire second half, increasing to 21 at 54-33 on a jumper by Smith at the 12:06 mark. The Crimson Hawks led by as many as 25 at 70-45 on a layup by freshman
Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School) off his own offensive rebound with 4:50 remaining.
IUP is off until Saturday when it plays its first road game of the season at Bowie State. The Crimson Hawks return home next Tuesday for a 7:30 contest against Lake Erie.
