Box Score

INDIANA, PA – Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School)'s go-ahead three-pointer with just 31 seconds left sealed a thrilling 66-63 win for the IUP men's basketball team over Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West rival Slippery rock Saturday night. Ashton Smith (Scarborough, ON/West Hill Collegiate) also tallied a game-high 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists as the Crimson Hawks clinched the first seed in the PSAC West with the win.

The Rock charged back from a nine point deficit at the half to knot the game at 61-61 with 1:01 to play in the second half, but on the next possession Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) found Souberbielle wide open at the top of the arc. Souberbielle drilled the trey without hesitation and sent the crowd of over 3,000 at the Kovalchick Complex into a frenzy.

After Slippery Rock's attempt at the other end spilled off, it was Souberbielle who snatched the rebound and was sent to the line looking to seal the win. Souberbielle calmly stepped up and deposited both free throws, icing the victory for the Crimson Hawks and wrapping up a regular season PSAC West championship.

While Souberbielle was the hero in the game's closing moments, it was Smith who was in the spotlight all evening long with his phenomenal play. Smith scored 13 second half points and was sharing the ball all evening. His eight assists put him just 11 shy of Mont Mattock's (1966-70) IUP career assist mark of 450.

Despite trailing by nine points at the break and shooting just 33.3% from the field in the first half, The Rock came out sharp in the second stanza thanks to an excellent effort by Chaquille Pratt. Pratt scored eight points in the first seven minutes of the period as part of a 9-2 run for Slippery Rock to trim the lead to just two.

The Rock would take its first lead since the 13:35 mark of the first half when Tabari Perry drilled a three-pointer to give Slippery Rock a 44-43 lead with 10:50 to play in the game, but the advantage would be short-lived.

Smith converted a pair of freebies to put the Crimson Hawks back in front by a point, and Julian Sanders (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) drained back-to-back jumpers to give IUP a 49-46 lead with just over seven minutes to play. The Crimson Hawks extended their lead to four when Wells knocked down a three-ball with 3:19 to play, but The Rock would not go down without a fight.

Torrance Timothy nailed a three to slice the lead to just one with under two minutes in the half, and after a Smith layup bumped the lead back to three, John Bayardelle sank a corner three in front of the raucous IUP student section to tie the game at 61-61. With the game tied and the momentum stolen away by Slippery Rock, it was Souberbielle who answered the call and electrified the Crimson Crazies with a clutch three-pointer.

Souberbielle finished with 13 points and three rebounds, while Sanders chipped in 13 points, four boards and two steals. Smith was 7-15 from the floor and a perfect 8-of-8 from the foul line for his game-high 23.

Devin Taylor had a team-high 14 points and seven rebounds for The Rock, while Pratt finished with 12 points and five boards. Perry added ten points and nine rebounds, and Luiz Santos chipped in eight points.

With the win, The Crimson Hawks improve to 20-4, 17-3 in the PSAC, and have locked up first place in the Western Division with two regular season games to play. The first of those games comes this Wednesday when IUP travels to Lock Haven. Tipoff with the Bald Eagles is set for 8:00 p.m.