Box Score

INDIANA, PA – A double-double from Mathis Keita (Thionville, France/Insep) and a game-high 16 points from Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) vaulted the 16th-ranked IUP men's basketball team to a 60-42 win over Bloomsburg in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover action Tuesday.

Keita pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds to go along with 11 points and a team-high five assists, while Chance was 4-of-6 from behind the arc for his 16.

After easy layups from Wes Lyons and Lorenzo Christmas broke the seal on the contest and gave the Huskies (2-6, 0-4 PSAC) an early 4-0 lead, it was Chance's first triple of the evening that got the Crimson Hawks going. IUP would take its first lead just moments later on a Dan Ayebo (Indiana/Indiana) layup to give the Crimson Hawks a 5-4 lead with 15:44 to play in the half.

The teams would trade baskets over the next few moments before IUP ripped off a 21-7 run that spanned over eight minutes to take a 15 lead with 5:46 to play. Chance bookended the run with a pair of three's, while Keita chipped in four points.

The Crimson Hawks lead would reach as much as 16 late in the period when Keita drilled a three-ball off of a nice dish from Chance, but a Dontahe Jordan lay-in would trim the IUP lead to 34-20 at the break. The Crimson Hawks took advantage of sloppy Bloomsburg ball-handling in the first half, tallying 20 points off of turnovers.

The Huskies would come out inspired early in the second stanza, cutting the deficit to just 10 on a pair of jumpers from Charles Haigler and a Nnamdi Njoku. The rally would be short-lived, however, as Scooter Renkin (Midlothian, VA/Blue Ridge) would kick start an 8-0 IUP run with a three to give IUP a 44-26 lead midway through the second half.

Bloomsburg would attempt to mount one last comeback late in the game, slicing the lead to just 13 thanks to a Christmas layup and free throw from Jordan, but a deep three from Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) and a Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School) jumper would seal the victory for the Crimson Hawks.

Souberbielle finished with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field, while Wells chipped in seven points. Renkin added seven points and four rebounds, and Ayebo finished with four points and seven boards.

Christmas led the way for the Huskies with 10 points and four rebounds, while Daniel Kusnyer added eight points.

The Crimson Hawks (7-1, 3-1 PSAC) jumped up two spots in the latest NABC Division II Coaches' poll after a pair of wins on the road last week. IUP is the only PSAC team to be featured in the rankings, while Atlantic Region foe West Liberty claims the top spot in the polls.

IUP is back in action tomorrow night at the Kovalchick Complex against Mansfield. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.