Complete Game Notes (PDF) / PSAC Weekly Release

No. 17 IUP (19-4, 16-3) vs. Slippery Rock (16-7, 13-6)
Saturday, February 18, 2012 / 7:30 p.m.
Kovalchick Complex / Indiana, PA

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AT A GLANCE
The IUP men's basketball team returns home this weekend looking to lock up first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West. The Crimson Hawks will have to go through a very tough Slippery Rock squad that is looking to improve its postseason position. The Rock sits in third place in the West, just a game behind Mercyhurst with a week of conference play remaning.

LAST TIME OUT
Sr. G Ashton Smith (Scarborough, ON/West Hill Collegiate) scored a team-high 25 points and Sr. G Julian Sanders (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) added 23 as the Crimson Hawks went on the road and defeated PSAC West foe Edinboro 80-72 Wednesday night.

Smith 7-of-11 from the floor and 4-of-6 from long range for his 25 points, while Sanders was 8-of-10 and 4-of-5 from distance for his 23. As a team, IUP shot a sparkling 58.7% from the field, and went 8-of-12 from three-point territory.

So. F Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School) was excellent Wednesday, chipping in 14 points and three rebounds. Danny Ayebo had one of his best all-around games, tallying 8 points, six boards and an assist, while Jr. G Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) finished with two points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals.

NCAA ATLANTIC REGION RANKINGS
The first NCAA Atlantic Regional rankings were released on Wednesday as IUP lands just outside the top five in 6th. West Liberty (WV), Shaw (NC), Charleston (WV), Alderson-Braoddus (WV) and Bowie State (MD) make up the top five. The top eight teams in the region advance to the NCAA tournament with the PSAC, WVIAC and CIAA champions earning automatic berths.

PLAYOFF BOUND
After defeating Mercyhurst last Saturday, the Crimson Hawks became the first Western Division team to clinch a spot in the PSAC Tournament. IUP remains as the only team in the West to have clinched with three regular season games remaning, while Bloomsburg, Kutztown, East Stroudsburg and West Chester have all 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 316 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 431 dimes in his career, and is in 2nd place on the all-time list after passing Eddie Peterson (02-06) last week. He is averaging just a shade over three assists per game this season.

INTO THE TOP FIVE
On Wednesday Sanders passed Derrick Freeman (1993-96) to move into 5th place on the IUP all-time scoring list with 1,549 career points. Just behind Sanders in a tie for 6th place is Smith, whose 1,535 career points are level with Freeman. Next on the list is Jack Crossan (1952-56), who is in 5th place with 1564 points for his career. 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 6.1 ppg and is 2nd on the team with 29 steals this season. He had his best game of the season last Saturday against Mercyhurst, 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 60.7 points per game. IUP has been oustanding at forcing opposing teams into bad shots, holding opponents to just 40.1% 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 6.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He has been extremely active on the defensive end, recording 21 steals on the  year.
Souberbielle tied a season-high 14 points against Edinboro on Wednesday.

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 4.7 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.

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 (5.3 ppg) and is 3rd in assists (2.6 apg). Chance also leads the team in steals, averaging 1.5 per game this year.

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 361-313 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.

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 119-57 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.