Complete Game Notes (PDF) / PSAC Weekly Release

No. 17 IUP (18-4, 14-3) at Edinboro (11-11, 9-9)
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 / 7:30 p.m.
McComb Fieldhouse / Edinboro, PA

Live Fan Stats - GoFightingScots.com
Live Audio - RedZoneMedia.com
Live Video - Edinboro.tv

AT A GLANCE
The Crimson Hawks are flying high after a dominating win over Mercyhurst on Saturday, and hope to carry this momentum into the postseason after clinching a berth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tournament. Not to be overlooked, however, are the Edinboro Fighting Scots who look to spoil IUP's good spirits with a win in front of the home crowd.

LAST TIME OUT
Jr. G Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) scored a career-high 17 points, adding eight rebounds and seven assists while Sr. G Ashton Smith (Scarborough, ON/West Hill Collegiate) dropped in 20 points as IUP cruised to a 67-49 win over second place Mercyhurst in a PSAC West showdown at the Kovalchick Complex on Saturday night.

With the outcome still in doubt late, Wells found Smith for a three-pointer to give the Crimson Hawks a 62-47 lead with exactly 4:00 minutes to play and send Mercyhurst packing.

Smith was 7-of-12 from the field for his 20 points, and added six rebounds and three assists. Sr. G Julian Sanders (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) chipped in 10 points and six boards, while Fr. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) added four points, three rebounds and two assists.

PLAYOFF BOUND
With Saturday's win, the Crimson Hawks became the first Western Division team to clinch a spot in the PSAC Tournament. IUP sits comfortably in first place in the division with four regular season games remaning, while Bloomsburg has clinched a spot in the East.

NATIONAL POLLS
The Crimson Hawks dropped to 17th in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches/Division II Men's Basketball Poll. IUP dropped four spots from 13th after splitting a pair of PSAC West games last week. Bellarmine (KY) holds the top spot in the polls for the 4th consecutive week.

THE ALL-TIME LEADER
At 312 for his career, Sr. G Julian Sanders (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) holds the record for career three-pointers made in IUP history. He passed Jason Bullock (92-96) for first place on the all-time list earlier this season, and  is averaging over three treys per game this year.

THE IUP ASSISTS CHART
Sr. G Ashton Smith (Scarborough, ON/West Hill Collegiate) is inching closer to Mont Mattocks' (66-70) IUP record of 450 career assists. Smith has dished 429 dimes in his career, and is in 2nd place on the all-time list after passing Eddie Peterson (02-06) last week.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Both Smith and Sanders are also making their way up the IUP all-time scoring list. Sanders is in 6th place on the chart with 1,526 career points, while Smith is now tied for 7th place with Joe DeLise (50-51, 55-58). Smith and DeLise both have 1,510 career points. Derrick Freeman (1993-96) is in 5th place with 1535 points for his career, while Darryl Webb (Elkridge, Md./Long Reach) (07-11) is IUP's all-time leading scorer with 1949 career points.

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 leads the team in assists (3.7 apg) and is 2nd in rebounding, pulling down 4.5 boards per game. Wells also chips in 6.3 ppg and is tied for 2nd on the team with 26 steals this season. He had his best game of the season on Saturday, notching a career-high 17 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 7 assists.

WINNING WITH DEFENSE
The Crimson Hawks have been the best defensive team in the PSAC this season, allowing a conference-low 60.1 points per game. IUP has been oustanding at forcing opposing teams into bad shots, holding opponents to just 40.3% shooting from the field.

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 6.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He has been extremely active on the defensive end, recording 21 steals on the  year. Souberbielle netted a career-high 14 points earlier this season against Gannon.

TOP FROSH
The smallest player on the IUP roster, Fr. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) has made a big impact on the Crimson Hawks this season. He is 5th on the team in scoring (5.5 ppg) and is 3rd in assists (2.5 apg). Chance also leads the team in steals, averaging 1.5 per game this year.

THE BIG MAN
Jr. C Josh Wiegand (Whiteford, MD/John Carroll) has been a force on the glass for IUP this season, ripping down a team-high 4.8 rebounds per game. He is 6th on the team in scoring at 5.4 points per game and has recorded a team-high 16 blocks.

OFF THE BENCH
IUP boasts a trio of players in Chance, Jr. C Danny Ayebo and So. F Kevin Jones (Washington, DC/Bishop O'Connell) who have helped the Crimson Hawks bench to outscore opponents 351-300 this season, including a 27-point output by the bench against Lock Haven. Ayebo was the hero of the Crimson Hawks' win over Slippery Rock in January with his go-ahead tip-in in the game's closing seconds.

REGIONAL RANKINGS PREVIEW
The NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Rankings will be released on February 15, 2012. The nation's 2nd-ranked team, West Liberty (WV), is expected to hold the top spot, while the Crimson Hawks, Shaw (NC) and Bowie State all figure to garner recognition in the poll.