No. 11 IUP Crimson Hawks (19-3, 15-3) at Mercyhurst Lakers (14-10, 10-8)
Saturday, February 16, 2013 | 3:00 PM
Mercyhurst Athletic Center | Erie, PA

Complete Game Notes (.PDF)

LIVE COVERAGE
Watch: AmericaOneSports.com
Listen: RedZoneMedia.com (WQMU 92.5 FM)
Stats: hurstathletics.com

AT A GLANCE
The No. 11 Crimson Hawks responded to their first loss in over a month last week by downing a pair of division rivals in convincing fashion to maintain a two-game lead in the tight PSAC West. IUP travels to Erie Saturday to face a Mercyhurst squad hoping to move up the standings just in time for the postseason.

LAST TIME OUT
Sr. G Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) splashed in a career-high 21 points and dished five assists as the Crimson Hawks cruised to a 70-53 win over rival California Wednesday. Jr. F Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School) chipped in 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while Jr. G Mathis Keita (Thionville, France/Insep) and Sr. C Josh Wiegand (Whiteford, MD/John Carroll) each tallied 10 points.

LAST MEETING
The Crimson Hawks will look to make it a clean sweep of the Lakers Saturday after downing Mercyhurst 57-54  at home in late January. IUP coughed up a double-digit second half lead late in that game, but Sr. G Scooter Renkin (Midlothian, VA/Blue Ridge) tallied the Crimson Hawks final four points to lock up the win.

UNSELFISH PLAY
Much of the Crimson Hawks' success this season can be attributed to their ability to share the basketball. IUP leads the PSAC in assists with 15.7 per contest, while So. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) and Keita rank 5th and 6th in assist-to-turnover ratio, respectively.

LOCK DOWN DEFENSE
IUP is up to its usual tricks on the defensive end this season, leading the conference in scoring defense. The Crimson Hawks allow just 57.1 points per game and are 2nd in the PSAC in field goal percentage defense, forcing opponents to shoot just 38.8% from the field. The Lakers is another team fueled by the defense, as the Lakers rank third in the conference in scoring defense at 61.6 points allowed per game.

NATIONAL POLLS
The Crimson Hawks slipped slightly in the latest NABC Division II Poll this week after losing their first game in over a month Wednesday. IUP fell four spots to11th, while the team that defeated the Crimson Hawks, Gannon, moves into the polls for the first time at 17th. PSAC East foe East Stroudsburg is ranked 9th, while Metro State (CO) claims the top spot for the fourth consecutive week.

THE HEAD COACH
Joe Lombardi (Youngstown State, '81) enters his seventh season as the head coach of the IUP men's basketball program after leading the Crimson Hawks to a third consecutive PSAC regular season title and an appearance in the NCAA tournament for a fourth straight season in 2011-12. Prior to his time with the Crimson Hawks, Lombardi served as an assistant coach at Saint Francis (PA), LaSalle, and the University of Pittsburgh. Lombardi has a career record of 142-62 at IUP.