Complete Game Notes (PDF) / PSAC Weekly Release

No. 20 IUP (8-2, 5-1) vs. West Chester (6-4, 3-3)
Friday, January 6, 2012 / 7:30 p.m.
Kovalchick Complex / Indiana, PA

No. 20 IUP (8-2, 5-1) vs. Millersville (3-7, 1-5)
Saturday, January 7, 2012 / 7:30 p.m.
Kovalchick Complex / Indiana, PA

Live Stats - IUPAthletics.com
Live Video - NMTVSports.com (Friday); NMTVSports.com (Saturday)
Live Audio - RedZoneMedia.com

AT A GLANCE
IUP comes back from winter break to host the final PSAC crossover weekend of the year, playing West Chester on Friday night and Millersville on Saturday evening at the Kovalchick Complex. The Crimson Hawks, ranked 20th in the nation, look to rebound after splitting a pair of games at the IRMC Classic back on Dec. 18-19. The Golden Rams enter the weekend with a 6-4 mark, 3-3 in the PSAC while the Marauders are 3-7 overall, 1-5 in the conference.

LAST TIME OUT
The Crimson Hawks split its two contests at the IRMC Classic at the Kovalchick Complex in December, losing to a hot-handed WV Wesleyan team 64-57 before rallying for a 65-49 win over Urbana on day two.

In Sunday night's opening game, IUP played evening with the Bobcats, leading by three at the half, but gave up 42 second half points to WV Wesleyan en route to the seven-point loss. IUP outshot the Bobcats 44.2 pct. to 41.2 pct., but WV Wesleyan got to the line 15 times in the second half, converting 12. Sr. G Ashton Smith (Scarborough, ON/West Hill Collegiate) scored 23 points and added 4 assists.

The Crimson Hawks rallied back the next day, taking control early by building an 36-18 halftime lead before cruising to the 16-point win. Smith had a game-high 20 points while So. F Kevin Jones (Washington, DC/Bishop O'Connell) scored a career-high 17 points on 7-7 FGs, grabbing 6 boards in 30 minutes. Jr. G Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) added 12 points and 8 rebounds.

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 104-53 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 have moved around in the polls in recent weeks and are currently 20th in the National Association of Basketball Coaches/Division II Men's Basketball Poll. They fell from 13th to 23rd after the IRMC Classic and moved up three spots after not playing at all over break.

THE ALL-TIME ASSISTS CHART
Sr. G Ashton Smith (Scarborough, ON/West Hill Collegiate) remains in 4th place on the IUP all-time assists chart with 392 career dimes. Smith is just 15 assists away from passing Yancey Taylor (92-95) for 3rd place on the list, while Mont Mattocks' (66-70) 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 (92-96) IUP record of 287 career three-pointers made. Sanders stands at 274 3's for his career, and is averaging just under 3 treys per game this season.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Both Smith and Sanders are also making their way up the IUP all-time scoring list. Smith has moved past Sanders and Aaron Faulkner (99-02) and is in 13th place with 1,313 points. He's just 3 points shy of Jamie Kimbrough (55-59) for 12th and 6 points behind Lee McCullough (68-71) for 11th. Sanders sits right behind Smith in 14th with 1,307 points.

FROM THE FOUL LINE
Jr. C Danny Ayebo has a nice 71.4 (20-28) free throw percentage 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) leads the team with a 85.2 FT%, missing only four of his 27 attempts, while Sanders is 29-37 (78.4 percent) from the line. As a team, IUP averages just under 22 freebie attempts 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 3rd on the team in scoring (7.6 ppg) and is 3rd on the team in assists (2.8 apg).

STAT STUFFER
Jr. G Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) has done it all for the Crimson Hawks this season, filling up his individual stat line each night. He 2nd on the team in assists (3.0 apg) and has been excellent on the glass, pulling down 4.3 rpg. Wells also chips in 5.7 ppg and is 3rd on the team in steals (10) 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 202-132 this season, including a 25-point output by the bench against Thiel. Jones went for a career-high 17 against Urbana, converting all seven shots.

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 6.0 ppg and 4.4 rpg. Souberbielle set a career-high with 10 points against Kutztown and had the go-ahead putback with :04.2 left in the 66-65 win over ESU.

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 4.7 rpg. Wiegand is tied for 6th on the team in scoring (5.6 ppg) and has been excellent at protecting the rim on the defensive end of the floor, recording a team-high 10 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 356-285 this season. IUP is 1st in the PSAC in rebounding defense (28.5) and 4th in the conference in rebounding margin (+7.1).

WINNING WITH DEFENSE
The IUP defense has stifled opponents this year, allowing just 62.3 ppg, tops in the PSAC. The Crimson Hawks also have the best scoring margin in the PSAC, winning games by an average of 9.7 points per game.