Box Score
INDIANA, PA - Trailing by a point with just over two minutes to play,
Scooter Renkin (Midlothian, VA/Blue Ridge) poured in five straight points to vault the 21st-ranked IUP men's basketball team to a dramatic 58-55 win over Millersville in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover action Saturday night.
Renkin netted eight second-half points en route to his game-high 16, while
Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School) and
Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) each added 12 points.
Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) finished with 10 points and a pair of assists.
The Crimson Hawks (11-2, 7-2 PSAC) looked dominant in the first half, leading by as much as 18 before Millersville began to chip away.
The Marauders (10-5, 6-3 PSAC) would take their first lead since the game's opening moments on an Anthony Coleman three-pointer with 3:01 to play, but an old-fashioned three-point-play and a layup from Renkin would give IUP a 56-52 lead with 48 seconds remaining.
A Larry Grant three-pointer with just 18 seconds to play would pull Millersville to within one, but a pair of Wells free throws would salt away the thrilling win for the Crimson Hawks.
It was a tale of two halves for Anthony Coleman, whose game-high 11 turnovers helped IUP build its lead in the first period. Coleman would respond in a big way in the second stanza, however, drilling all five of his attempted three-pointers.
Leading by four midway through the first period, the Crimson Hawks would rip off a 17-3 run that spanned over six minutes to lead 30-13 with 3:50 to play in the half.
Josh Wiegand (Whiteford, MD/John Carroll) would cap the run with a strong offensive board and a put-back layup.
IUP would keep the Marauders at arm's length for most of the second half thanks to three's from Souberbielle and Wells, but Coleman and Larry Grant would spearhead the Millersville rally. Grant scored 14 points on the night, but was just 1-of-5 from three-point territory.
The IUP defense notched yet another impressive performance, limiting the Marauders to just 43% shooting from the floor. The Crimson Hawks front line did an excellent job keeping Elijah Obade in check, limiting the standout center to just seven points and eight rebounds.
IUP hits the road this Wednesday to face rival California, with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m.
