Box Score

INDIANA, PA - Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) scored a game-high 19 points and dished three assists as the 16th-ranked IUP men's basketball team downed Clarion 71-55 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action Saturday night.

Wells was in control all evening for the Crimson Hawks (13-2, 9-2 PSAC), going 7-of-10 from the floor and 3-of-4 from behind the arc. Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School) had the hot hand early and finished with 13 points, while Mathis Keita (Thionville, France/Insep) chipped in 12 points, four assists and a game-high eight rebounds. Blake Vedder (Chesterland, OH/West Geauga) was the fourth IUP player to post double-figures, netting 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

IUP kept the Golden Eagles (4-11, 2-9 PSAC) at arm's length for the majority of the contest, maintaining a sizeable lead for the entire second half. Clarion would attempt to mount a comeback midway through the second when Aaron Johnson drilled a three-pointer to cut the Crimson Hawks lead to just seven, but IUP would counter with an 8-0 run to snatch away any hopes of an upset.

The game's opening minutes were all about Souberbielle, who tallied the Crimson Hawks first nine points en route to a quick five-point lead. IUP would build its first double-digit advantage with 14:47 to play in the half when Vedder threw down one of four thunderous dunks he had on the evening, but the Golden Eagles would fight back.

Clarion would claw to within four points with under eight minutes to play in the half thanks to a Johnson triple and a Mike Kromka layup, but the Crimson Hawks would close out the half on a 12-5 run to take a 30-19 lead at the break.

The Crimson Hawks shot 50.9% from the floor and were 8-of-14 from three-point territory as a team, while Clarion shot just 32.7% from the field. IUP also won the turnover battle, committing just 14 giveaways while the Golden Eagles coughed it up 22 times.

Johnson paced Clarion with 12 points on 3-of-3 shooting from behind the arc, while Kromka finished with 11 points and six boards. Calvin Edwards and Leonard Patterson added nine points apiece, and Marques Jones finished with seven points and three rebounds.

IUP hits the road this Wednesday to take on Edinboro before returning home next Saturday to host Mercyhurst. Tipoff in both games is set for 7:30 p.m.