No. 16 IUP Crimson Hawks (20-5, 16-5) vs. Lock Haven Bald Eagles (6-18, 4-17)
Wednesday, February 27, 2013 | 7:30 PM
Kovalchick Complex | Indiana, PA
Complete Game Notes (.PDF)
LIVE COVERAGE
Watch:
NMTVSports.com (IUP-TV)
Listen:
RedZoneMedia.com (WQMU 92.5 FM)
Stats:
IUPAthletics.com
AT A GLANCE
Locked in a tie for first place in the PSAC West, the Crimson Hawks will need a win and a Slippery Rock loss Wednesday in order to claim the top seed in the West heading into the playoffs Saturday. IUP caps off the regular season against a young Lock Haven team that has improved throughout the year.
LAST TIME OUT
Despite a career-high 23 points from Sr. G
Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) and late rally in the game's closing minutes, IUP fell just short in a 70-69 heartbreaker to rival Slippery Rock Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Rock slides into a tie for first place in the PSAC West and can seal the top spot with a win over Gannon Wednesday.
LAST MEETING
Jr. G
Mathis Keita (Thionville, France/Insep) scored a game-high 21 points and dished 6 assists as IUP cruised to an easy 71-53 win at Lock Haven in late January. Sr. G
Scooter Renkin (Midlothian, VA/Blue Ridge) added 16 points, going 4-of-8 from three-point range, while Jr. F
Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School) chipped in 13 points and 8 rebounds. The win was the eighth straight for the Crimson Hawks in January.
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 three of his last four outings. The senior tallied a career-high 16 points against Slippery Rock Saturday and is shooting a sterling 58.8% (60-102) from the field this season.
SENIOR NIGHT
In addition ot Wiegand, four other seniors will be honored prior to Wednesday night's game for their excellent careers with the Crimson Hawks. Wiegand, Wells, Renkin, C
Dan Ayebo (Indiana/Indiana) and F
Chris Edwards (Philadelphia/North Catholic) have contributed to over 100 IUP wins in the last four years and will all graduate this spring.
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 143-64 at IUP.
