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Atlantic Region Quarterfinal
No. 7 IUP (23-5) vs. No. 2 Shaw (25-3)
Saturday, March 10, 2012 / 2:30 p.m.
Academic, Sports and Recreation Complex / West Liberty, WV

Atlantic Region Semifinals
Sunday, March 11, 2012 / 5:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Academic, Sports and Recreation Complex / West Liberty, WV

Atlantic Region Championship
Tuesday, March 13, 2012 / 7:00 p.m.
Academic, Sports and Recreation Complex / West Liberty, WV

Live Stats - HillTopperSports.com
Live Video (IUP) - NMTVSports.com
Live Video (West Liberty) - NMTVSports.com
Live Audio - RedZoneMedia.com
Live Tweets - twitter.com/IUPCrimsonHawk

AT A GLANCE
The Crimson Hawks enter the 2012 NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament as the seventh seed and will look to score a quarterfinal upset of second-seeded Shaw (NC). IUP is coming off a tough loss to West Chester in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Semifinals, while the Bears are hoping to get back on track after seeing their 21 game win streak snapped in the CIAA Semifinals. This is the first meeting between between IUP and Shaw in the history of both  programs.

LAST TIME OUT
In a game that showcased excellent defense, the night's defining play came on the offensive end, when Jon Breedon's three-pointer with under two seconds to play vaulted West Chester to a 54-51 win over IUP in the Semifinals of the PSAC Tournament Friday night.

The Crimson Hawks held a 43-31 lead with 8:27 to play in the second half, but West Chester would charge back with a 20-8 run to tie the game at 51-51 with just 47 seconds remaining. After an IUP miss returned possession to the Golden Rams, the ball was put in Breedon's hands for a final shot. Breedon sank the three with 1.4 seconds remaining, and IUP was unable to get off a shot at the other end.

Sr. G Ashton Smith (Scarborough, ON/West Hill Collegiate) finished with 16 points, four rebounds and five steals, while Sr. G Julian Sanders (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) notched his first double-double of the season, tallying 16 points and 10 boards. Jr. G Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) added nine points and four
rebounds, while Jr. C Josh Wiegand (Whiteford, MD/John Carroll) finished with six points and five boards.

NCAA ATLANTIC REGION TOURNEY
The Crimson Hawks are the 7th seed in the 2012 NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament, and will play 2nd-seeded Shaw (NC) in the quarterfinals this Saturday.

Top-seeded West Liberty will host the tournament and play East Stroudsburg, while Charleston (WV) is the 3rd seed and will play Wheeling Jesuit. 4th-seeded West Virginia Wesleyan takes on Winston-Salem State (NC) in the quarterfinals as well.

NATIONAL POLLS
After suffering the loss in the PSAC Semifinals, IUP dropped one spot to 10th in the latest NABC Division II Coaches Poll. The Crimson Hawks are just behind 9th-ranked Tarleton State (TX), while the Colorado School of Mines takes over the top spot in the poll for the first time this season.

THE IUP ALL-TIME ASSIST LEADER
In last Tuesday's PSAC quartefinal matchup with Cal, Sr. G Ashton Smith (Scarborough, ON/West Hill Collegiate) passed Mont Mattocks' (66-70) to become the all-time leader in career assists at IUP. Tallying nine assists on Tuesday, Smith now has 454 in his career. He is averaging 3.5 assists per game this season.

THE THREE-POINT KING
At 330 for his career, Sr. G Julian Sanders (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) holds the record for career three-pointers made in IUP history. He drained five triples in the Crimson Hawks quarterfinal win over Cal and added a three-ball against West Chester in the semifinals. Sanders is averaging over three treys per game this year.

INTO THE TOP FIVE
With his 16 points on Saturday, Smith moved passed Eddie Peterson (2002-06) into fourth place on the IUP all-time scoring list with 1,624 points. Smith is right behind Sanders, who is third on the all-time scoring chart with 1,638 points. Robert Misenko (1992-96) is 2nd on the list with 1,715 points, while Darryl Webb (Elkridge, Md./Long Reach) (2007-11) is IUP's all-time leading scorer with 1949 career points.

ATLANTIC REGION FIRST TEAM
The postseason accolades continue to roll in for Smith, who was named to the Daktronics NCAA Division II Atlantic Region first team Wednesday. Smith, who was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Player of the Year last week, ranks third in the PSAC in scoring at 18.5 points per game, and is shooting 43.0% from the field this season.

JUST MARCEL
So. F Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School) has established himself as a reliable third scoring threat for the Crimson Hawks over the last month. He is averaging just under 12 points  per game in his last five, and deposited a season-high 15 points last Tuesday against Cal. Souberbielle is looking to rebound this Saturday after being held scoreless for just the second time this season againt West Chester.

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 (3.5 apg) and is second on the team in rebounding, pulling down 4.4 boards per game. Wells also chips in 6.3 ppg and is third on the team with 34 steals this season.

WINNING WITH DEFENSE
The Crimson Hawks were the best defensive team in the PSAC this season, allowing a conference-low 60.2 points per game. IUP has been great at forcing opponents into bad shots, holding them to just 40.3% shooting from the field and 30.9% from three-point territory.

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 4.5 rebounds per game. He is 5th on the team in scoring at 5.3 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 averages 4.7 points per game and is 3rd on the team in assists, dishing out 2.4 dimes per contest. Chance has been extremely disruptive on the defensive end, notching a team-high 41 steals this season.

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 title game last year.

Lombardi has compiled a record of 123-57 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.