Box Score

LOCK HAVEN, PA – Ashton Smith (Scarborough, ON/West Hill Collegiate) scored a game-high 21 points and Julian Sanders (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) added 15 as the IUP men's basketball team held on for a 61-53 win at Lock Haven in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action Wednesday night. The 13th-ranked Crimson Hawks ran into an inspired Lock Haven squad looking for its first win of the season, but outlasted the Bald Eagles to improve to 20-4, 18-3 in the PSAC West.

Desperate for a win in the 2011-12 season, Lock Haven pounced on IUP early, scoring the first eight points of the game before Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School) broke the seal for the Crimson Hawks with a jumper.

The Bald Eagles would build up a 16-11 lead over the first nine minutes of the half thanks to five points from Terrell Johnson and three from Andre Rivers, but Smith would respond for IUP with a layup and a jumper on back-to-back possessions to cut the lead to just one midway through the half.

The Crimson Hawks would take their first lead of the game with just over five minutes to play in the period when Sanders nailed a three-pointer and Smith sliced into the lane for a layup to put IUP ahead 24-23, but the lead would be short-lived.

Rivers would convert a pair of free throws to swing the lead back in favor of Lock Haven, and Anthony Baker would net two freebies to extend the lead to three with 1:44 to play. After a Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) foul shot trimmed the lead down to two, Nate Walters would connect on one-of-two free throws to send the Bald Eagles into the break with a 28-25 lead.

IUP would regain the lead early in the second half on an Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) three-pointer, but Lock Haven would not go away.  Rivers slipped in for a layup to give the Bald Eagles a 41-39 lead, and would steal the Crimson Hawks inbound pass and deposit two more two bump the lead back up to four, but IUP would answer.

The Crimson Hawks would go on a 10-2 run over the next four minutes to take a 49-45 lead with 8:12 to play in the game. Lock Haven would charge back to knot the game at 49-49 thanks to a pair of free throws by Rivers and a bucket from Baker, but the Bald Eagles would not come any closer.

IUP would sprint out to a 12-4 over the final seven minutes of the games thanks to four points for Smith and five points from Sanders. With the game still in doubt late, Sanders drained his third triple of the game to salt away the win for the Crimson Hawks.

Smith was just 6-of-17 from the floor for his 21 points, but went 8-of-13 from the free throw line. Sanders was 6-of-11 from the field for his 15 points, and added a team-high six rebounds. Souberbielle chipped in eight points and two steals.

Rivers and Baker both had 14 points to lead Lock Haven, while Johnson added seven points, two rebounds and two assists.

The Crimson Hawks wrap up the regular season this Saturday when they host PSAC West foe Gannon at the Kovalchick Center.  Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.