Box Score

INDIANA, PA – Julian Sanders (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) scored 17 points and Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) had a game-high 11 rebounds from his guard spot as IUP handled Thiel 84-59 in a non-conference men's basketball matchup on Monday evening at the Kovalchick Complex.

After struggling to a 9-6 lead in the game's first 4:38, the Crimson Hawks got on a roll with Sanders knocking down back-to-back shots to jumpstart 14-3 run. IUP then got a layup from Wells and a pair of easy lay-ins from Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School) to take a 30-13 lead with 6:36 left in the half.

Josh Wiegand (Whiteford, MD/John Carroll) got into the action with a layup to stretch the Crimson Hawks lead to 19 points before Thiel tried to get back into the game with a bucket and a three-pointer, cutting its deficit to 14 points with less than five minutes before the break.

Not to give up too much to the Tomcats, Wiegand started another 14-3 IUP run with a traditional three-point play, as the Crimson Hawks took a convincing 46-21 lead into the locker room.

Both teams played evenly in the second half, as Thiel was able to cut its deficit to 17 about midway through the period. The Crimson Hawks then went on a 17-2 run, with Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) scoring seven straight points, capped by a three-pointer, to take a 76-44 lead with 6:39 left. IUP's bench emptied in the game's final few minutes, closing out the 25-point victory.

Austin Forbes was the leading scorer for Thiel, scoring 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting in 34 minutes.

Sanders was one of five Crimson Hawks to reach double-figures in scoring, getting his 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three-point range.

Ashton Smith (Scarborough, ON/West Hill Collegiate) added 14 points for IUP, assisting on seven other baskets and grabbing four boards in 35 minutes. Wiegand had 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks while Chance came off the bench to score 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting in 21 minutes.

Kevin Jones (Washington, DC/Bishop O'Connell) also had a nice game off the bench, scoring 10 points and grabbing five rebounds in 21 minutes and Wells just missed a double-double by scoring seven points with his 11 boards, adding four assists.

The Crimson Hawks (2-0) are back in action this weekend as they travel to face Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division foes Cheyney on Saturday and Shippensburg on Sunday.