No. 14 IUP Crimson Hawks (20-4, 16-4) at Slippery Rock (18-6, 15-5)
Saturday, February 23, 2013 | 3:00 PM
Morrow Field House | Slippery Rock, PA
Complete Game Notes (.PDF)
LIVE COVERAGE
Listen:
RedZoneMedia.com (WQMU 92.5 FM)
Stats:
Rockathletics.com
AT A GLANCE
Entering the final week of the regular season, the Crimson Hawks are set to lock up first place in the PSAC West with a win at second-place Slippery Rock Saturday afternoon. The Rock have charged up the rankings with three straight wins, while IUP responded to a tough loss on Saturday with an impressive home win over Edinboro Wednesday.
LAST TIME OUT
Jr. F
Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School) and Jr. G
Mathis Keita (Thionville, France/Insep) each scored 18 points as the Crimson Hawks downed PSAC West rival Edinboro 78-70 Wednesday night. Five IUP players scored in double-figures, including Sr. G
Scooter Renkin (Midlothian, VA/Blue Ridge), who posted 11 points, rive rebounds and eight assists.
LAST MEETING
Trailing by one with under three minutes to play in the second half, the Crimson Hawks ripped off seven straight points to salt away a 55-49 win over the Rock earlier this month. Renkin nearly posted a triple-double on the evening, finishing with 10 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Sr. G
Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) tallied a team-high 14 points, while So. G
Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) added 11 points in 30 minutes of the bench.
MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Sr. C
Josh Wiegand (Whiteford, MD/John Carroll) has been excellent for the Crimson Hawks in recent weeks, scoring in double-figures in two of his last three outings. Wiegand is averaging 7.6 points per game over his last five, and is shooting a sterling 58.7% (54-92) from the field this season.
TITLE FIGHT
When the top two teams in the PSAC West square off Saturday, the game will likely be won by the team who can solve their opponent's vaunted defense. Both squads are near the top of the conference in scoring defense and opponent's field goal percentage, and both teams are terrific on the glass.
REGIONAL POLLS
The Crimson Hawks are ranked fifth in the season's first NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Rankings, just behind PSAC East foe East Stroudsburg. Defending regional champ West Liberty claims the top spot in the rankings, while Winston-Salem State and Fairmont State are slotted second and third, respectively.
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 143-63 at IUP.
