Complete Game Notes (PDF) / PSAC Weekly Report

No. 14 IUP (5-1, 3-1) at East Stroudsburg (5-4, 2-2)
Friday, December 9, 2011 / 7:30 p.m.
Koehler Fieldhouse / East Stroudsburg, PA

Live Stats - ESUWarriors.com
Live Audio - RedZoneMedia.com

No. 14 IUP (5-1, 3-1) at Kutztown (3-4, 1-2)
Saturday, December 10, 2011 / 4:00 p.m.
Keystone Arena / Kutztown, PA

Live Audio - RedZoneMedia.com

AT A GLANCE
The Crimson Hawks wrap up PSAC crossover play this weekend when they travel to East Stroudsburg and Kutztown. The Crimson Hawks are 3-1 in the PSAC and are looking to remain undefeated on the road.

East Stroudsburg looks to stay above .500 and keep pace near the top of the Eastern Division standings, while Kutztown is hoping to get back into the mix in the East after struggling early in the season.

LAST TIME OUT
Just one day after dropping their first game of the 2011-12 season, The IUP men's basketball team responded nicely with a 76-51 win over PSAC East foe Mansfield last Sunday.

Sr. G Julian Sanders (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) led the way with 21 points on 4-5 shooting from three-point range, while Sr. G Ashton Smith (Scarborough, ON/West Hill Collegiate) chipped in 16 points and five assists. Sanders was 7-of-12 from the field for his 21 points, while Smith was 6-of-14 from the floor.

Jr. G Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) finished with five points and a game-high seven assists, while Jr. C Danny Ayebo pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Jr. C Josh Wiegand (Whiteford, MD/John Carroll) was particularly effective for IUP, going 6-of-8 from the field for 12 points.

THE HEAD COACH
Joe Lombardi (Youngstown State, '81) is in his sixth season as the head coach of the IUP men's basketball program and is coming off yet another successful season in leading the Crimson Hawks to their second straight PSAC title and to the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship game last year.

Lombardi has compiled a record of 100-53 during his tenure with the Crimson Hawks and has the fourth-highest winning percentage in IUP history. Prior to his time with the Crimson Hawks, Lombardi served as an assistant coach at Saint Francis (PA), Lasalle, and the University of Pittsburgh.

NATIONAL POLLS
The Crimson Hawks fell six spots to 14th in the National Association of Basketball Coaches/Division II Men's Basketball Poll after splitting a pair of games last weekend. IUP received 79 points points in the voting and is in a tie for the 14th spot with Cal Poly Pomona.

THE ALL-TIME ASSISTS CHART
Sr. G Ashton Smith (Scarborough, ON/West Hill Collegiate) moved into fourth place on the IUP all-time assists chart this weekend when he recorded the 380th assist of his career against Mansfield. Smith passed Gerry Recktenwald on the all-time list, while Mont Mattocks' career mark of 450 is the most in IUP history.

DIALING LONG DISTANCE
Sr. G Julian Sanders (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) is rapidly closing on Jason Bullock's IUP record of 287 career three-pointers made. Sanders stands at 266 three's for his career, and  is averaging over three treys per game this season.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Both Smith and Sanders are also making their way up the IUP all-time scoring list. Sanders is 14th on the list with 1273 career points, while Smith is in 17th place with 1215 career points.

FROM THE FOUL LINE
Jr. C Danny Ayebo is a sparkling 85.0% (17-20) free-throw shooter this season, including a perfect 10-of-10 from the line in the Crimson Hawks win over Shippensburg. Fr. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) is a perfect 9-of-9 from the charity stripe this season, while Jr. G Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) is 8-of-10 from the line. As a team, IUP averages over 23 freebies per game.

TOP FROSH
The smallest player on the IUP roster, Chance has had one of the Crimson Hawks biggest contributors this season. He is fourth on the team in scoring (7.5 ppg) and is third on the team in assists (3.2 apg).

STAT STUFFER
Wells has done it all for the Crimson Hawks this season, filling up his individual stat line each night. He leads IUP in assists (3.7 apg) and has been excellent on the glass, pulling down 4.7 rebounds per game. Wells also chips in 5.0 points per game and is third on the team in steals (7) this season.

OFF THE BENCH
IUP boasts a trio of players in Chance, Ayebo and So. F Kevin Jones (Washington, DC/Bishop O'Connell) that have helped the Crimson Hawks bench to outscore opponents 113-100 this season, including a 25-point output by the bench against Thiel. Jones averages this 4.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in just 17 minutes per game.

JUST MARCEL
So. F Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School) has flourished in his first year as a starter for the Crimson Hawks, averaging 5.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Souberbielle tied his career-high for points against Bloomsburg last Saturday with nine.

THE BIG MAN
Jr. C Josh Wiegand (Whiteford, MD/John Carroll) has been a force on the glass for IUP this season, grabbing a team-high 5.8 rebounds per game. Wiegand is third on the team in scoring (8.7 ppg) and has been excellent at protecting the rim on the defensive end of the floor, recording a team-high six blocks.

OWNING THE GLASS
Much of the Crimson Hawks success this season can be attributed to their dominance on the boards, where they have outrebounded opponents 213-163 this season. IUP is first in the PSAC in defensive rebounds (163) and third in the conference in rebounding margin (+8.8).

WINNING WITH DEFENSE
The IUP defense has stifled opponents this year, allowing a PSAC-low 62.3 points per game. The Crimson Hawks also have the best scoring margin in the PSAC, winning games by an average of 13.5 points per game.