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GameDay Central
No. 5 IUP Crimson Hawks (14-1. 4-1 PSAC West)
vs. California Vulcans (7-9, 2-4 PSAC West)
Saturday, January 18, 2014 | 7:30 p.m. 
Kovalchick Complex | Indiana, Pa. 

Complete Game Notes (.pdf)

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AT A GLANCE
The Crimson Hawks return home, hosting Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West rival California in a Saturday night game from the KCAC. IUP is looking to rebound, following its first loss of the season at Gannon. They enter the game with a record of 14-1, 4-1 and in a tie for first place in the West and are ranked fifth in the nation. California enters with a record of 7-9, 2-4 and have won three of their last five.

THE SERIES
IUP holds the all-time series advantage with the Vulcans, 105-71. The Crimson Hawks have won six of the last seven meetings, including two postseason victories. The Vulcans have never won at the Kovalchick Complex.

LAST TIME OUT
These two teams last met Feb. 13 at the Kovalchick Complex, with IUP running away with the 70-53 victory. Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) led all scorers with 21 points, two rebounds, five assists and two steals. Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School) and Mathis Keita (Thionville, France/Insep) both finished in double figures.

SO CLOSE HE CAN TASTE IT
Recording double figures in six straight games, including 16 points in the loss to Gannon, Sr. F Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School) is inching closer to 1,000 points for his career. Due to a statistical error, the senior's point totals are actually 953, instead of the 967 previously reported. He's just 47 points shy of 1,000, a mark he's on pace to hit at home against rival Slippery Rock on Jan. 25.

THAT ONE HURTS
The Crimson Hawks fell for the first time this season on Wednesday, snapping a 14-game win streak. The nation's fifth-ranked team fell victim to a Gannon team that shot 47.1 percent from the floor and held the Crimson Hawks without a field goal in the overtime period. IUP was one of only seven undefeated teams in the country, three of which were in the Atlantic Region and two in the PSAC. East Stroudsburg is now the only other PSAC school with a perfect mark, and No. 1 West Liberty rounds out the two Atlantic Region teams with zeros in the loss column.

DEFENSE IS KING
The Crimson Hawks boast the nation's No. 1 scoring defense, giving up just 57.3 points per game. They have never allowed an opponent to score more than 70 points and have held opponents to under 60 points in 10 of their 15 games. The Crimson Hawks also have the PSAC's No. 1 three-point field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to convert on just 24.3 percent of shots from behind the arc. They also have the PSAC's No.2 field goal defense, holding opponents to a percentage of just 37.8 from the floor.

SECOND CHANCE
Averaging 4.0 assists per game, Jr. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) is second in the PSAC in helpers. The point guard has lent a hand 60 times in the team's 15 games. He's on pace for a career-high 104, one more than last season when he posted 103 in 31 games played. 

SCOUTING CALIFORNIA
The Vulcans enter Saturday's game with a record of 7-9, 2-4. They have won three of their last five, with victories coming against Clarion, Mansfield and Kutztown. Led by 12.3 points from Jr. J Tynell Forture, the Vulcans have four players averaging double figures. As a team, they are averaging just 64.9 points per game, and giving up 66.9. They have only played in five games in which they scored 70 points or more. The Vulcans do pose a threat on defense, with the PSAC's second turnover ratio, forcing 14.6 per game, seventh in the PSAC.

CRIMSON HAWKS BY THE NUMBERS

57.3	IUP's scoring defense this season, a mark that is good for first in the nation.
40	The number of conference victories IUP has had since the 2010-11 season, tops in the PSAC.
5	IUP's national ranking, moving up one spot from the No. 6 spot they held for two weeks.
52.2	The field goal percentage of Sr. G Mathis Keita (Thionville, France/Insep), 8th in the conference. He's connected on 78-of-148 shots on the season.
24.3	The average three-point field goal percentage of IUP's opponents on the season, shooting just 61-of-257 from behind the arc. That's first in the conference.
4.0	The average number of assists from Jr. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) in each of the team's 14 games this season, second in the PSAC.
953	The number of points Sr. G Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School) has for his career, just 47 points shy of 1,000.
1	The number of losses that IUP has suffered this season in its 15 games. They're tied for first in the PSAC West with Slippery Rock.
3	The number of PSAC championships the Crimson Hawks have won in the last four years.