Box Score

INDIANA, PA - Mathis Keita (Thionville, France/Insep) netted a game-high 25 points and dished eight assists as the IUP men's basketball team coasted to a 92-76 win over West Chester in the semifinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament Friday night.

With the win, the Crimson Hawks (23-5) move on to face PSAC West rival Slippery Rock in the championship game tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. The Rock won their semifinal tilt with East Stroudsburg by a score of 68-59 behind 22 points and 14 rebounds from Devin Taylor. IUP returns to the PSAC Championship for the third time in four years, while Slippery Rock advances to the final for the second time in three seasons.

The story of the evening was IUP's unbelievable shooting from behind the arc as a team. The Crimson Hawks canned a PSAC Tournament-record 15 three-pointers, including their first eight attempts from long range.

Leading 8-4 just minutes into the contest, IUP nailed seven consecutive triples to take a commanding 26-10 lead midway through the period. Keita and Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) each splashed in two of their four three-pointers during the run.

Wells finished with 23 points, four rebounds and seven assists, while Scooter Renkin (Midlothian, VA/Blue Ridge) chipped in 18 points and four dimes. Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School) added 10 points on a perfect 4-of-4 from the field.

The Crimson Hawks shot an outstanding 57.8% from the floor and 65.2% from behind the arc as a team. IUP tallied a season-high 23 assists on the evening, including a helper on each of the team's first 16 possessions.

As a team, West Chester (20-8) shot just 39.3% from the field, and lost the rebounding battle 33-29. The Golden Rams turned the ball over just 10 times, but were unable to overcome a 17-point halftime deficit.

IUP led by as much as 20 late in the first half, but the Golden Rams would close out the period on a 6-3 run to trim the deficit to 43-26 at the break. West Chester would attempt to mount a final rally with under eight minutes to play in the second stanza, but Wells would knock down a jumper and a trio of free-throws to give the Crimson Hawks a 75-54 lead with 6:34 to play.

Jon Breeden paced West Chester with 15 points and five assists, while Harley Williamson came off the bench to score 15 points. Shannon Givens finished with 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Tomorrow's championship game will be the third chapter in an excellent saga between the Crimson Hawks and Slippery Rock, as the teams split their two regular season meetings this year.

With a win, IUP would claim its third PSAC crown in four years, while the Rock look to hoist their first trophy since 1963. Tipoff from the Kovalchick Complex is set for 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night.