Box Score

WEST LIBERTY, WV – The IUP men's basketball team saw their season come to an end Saturday afternoon with a heartbreaking 62-54 loss to Shaw (NC) in the Quarterfinals of the 2012 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Atlantic Regional.

Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School)'s three-pointer with just 1:57 to play in the second half knotted a tight-fisted affair at 54-54, but the Bears would end the game on an 8-0 run to seal the win and advance to the Atlantic Region Semifinals.

The Crimson Hawks would play from behind for most of the afternoon Saturday, as Shaw jumped out to a 15-5 lead in the first eight minutes of the game before the IUP offense settled in.

Julian Sanders (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) would kick-start the offense for IUP, knocking down a pair of three-pointers that bookended a long jumper to cut the Shaw lead to just six with 9:03 to play. After a three from Karron Johnson pushed the lead back up to nine on the next possession, Sanders would bury another triple in response.

Sanders would knock down another long deuce late in the first half to pull IUP within four, and Souberbielle would deposit a bucket in the half's closing minutes to shrink the Shaw lead to just two at the break. The vaunted Crimson Hawks defense held Shaw scoreless in the final 5:42 of the period.

IUP would tie the game at 30-30 for the first time since it was 3-3 in the opening moments when Josh Wiegand (Whiteford, MD/John Carroll) knocked down a short jumper with 18:15 to play in the game, but the Bears would answer.

Shaw ripped off a 6-0 run over the next four minutes to regain control and halt the momentum the Crimson Hawks were riding since late in the first half. Johnson, Junius Chaney and Malik Alvin all scored for the Bears during the run.

The Crimson Hawks would respond yet again, however, charging back to knot the game at 40-40 midway through the second half on a pair of three-balls from Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) and four points from Ashton Smith (Scarborough, ON/West Hill Collegiate).

Much like when they gave up the lead earlier in the half, the Bears would answer with another quick scoring burst, ripping off seven-straight points to regain control. The lead would hold steady at seven until the five minute mark of the half, when IUP would begin to chip away.

Smith nailed back-to-back jumpers to cut the lead to just three, and after a number of defensive stops by the Crimson Hawks returned possession to IUP with a chance to tie with a three, Souberbielle answered the call.

He received a perfect pass from Wells and sank the triple from the top of the key to force a Shaw timeout and return the momentum to IUP with 1:57 to play in the game. The momentum would disappear in a hurry, however, as the Bears would once again counter the Crimson Hawks stretch with a run of their own.

Chaney converted a pair of free throws to give Shaw a 56-54 lead, and after a missed shot from IUP returned possession to the Bears, Johnson hit a deep three that gave Shaw a five-point lead and ended the Crimson Hawks hopes of an Atlantic Region Semifinal appearance.

Johnson was 3-of-3 from three-point territory for his team-high 17 points, while Chaney added 12 points and eight rebounds. Tony Smith finished with 11 points, six boards and three assists.

Sanders finished with 17 points for IUP on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor, while Smith finished with 11 points, four rebounds and two assists. Wells was 3-of-6 from deep for nine points, while Souberbielle also deposited nine points.

Saturday marked the end of two of the finest careers in IUP men's basketball history from Smith and Sanders, who have both won over 100 games as Crimson Hawks. Smith will finish his career with the 4th-most points scored in IUP history (1,635), and holds the program-record for most career assists with 456. Sanders is third on the all-time scoring chart (1,655), and holds the IUP record for most career made three-pointers with 333.