BOWIE, MD – The seventh-ranked Crimson Hawks held off a late run by host Bowie State to come out with a big 61-59 road win in Atlantic Region men's basketball action on Tuesday night in Maryland.
 
The Bulldogs went on a 15-4 run over the last 7:51 of action, helping cut IUP's lead to 61-57 with 1:25 left in the game. Cameron Knox drilled a three-pointer to bring their deficit to four, forcing an IUP timeout.
 
After a turnover by the Crimson Hawks, Knox again stepped up by making a pair of free throws on the other end to make it a two-point game with 46 seconds to go in the game.
 
IUP salted away the clock, but a three-point try by Jeremy Jeffers (Wilson, N.C./Greenfield School) with 12 seconds to go rattled off the rim, giving Bowie State the ball back, with the Bulldogs calling a timeout with 6.2 seconds left on the clock.
 
Inbounding the ball next to their own bench, the Bulldogs tried to get a shot off in the far corner, but the Crimson Hawks played smothering defense and knocked away the ball away, not allowing Bowie State to get a shot off in the final seconds.
 
The Crimson Hawks improve to 5-0 on the season with the victory while Bowie State drops to 3-2. The Bulldogs had previously beaten then-4th-ranked East Stroudsburg earlier this season.
 
Daddy Ugbede (San Mateo, Calif./Serra) led IUP with 22 points, tying his career-high from Tuesday night in just 20 minutes off the bench. He finished 7-of-8 from the field and 8-of-10 from the foul line.
 
The Crimson Hawks shot 42.0 percent from the floor after starting the game making half of their shots, going 12-of-24 in the opening 20 minutes. IUP also turned the ball over 21 times on the night, but forced Bowie State into 12 turnovers and outrebounded the Bulldogs 37-to-26.
 
IUP used a 14-4 run in the first half to break an 11-11 tie and take a 25-15 lead on a three-pointer by Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) with 6:56 on the clock. The Crimson Hawks led by as many as 11 in the first half before heading into the locker room with a 34-27 lead.
 
The Crimson Hawks stretched their lead to 14 points early in the second half at 41-27 and later led by as many as 16 points at the 11:22 mark before Bowie State mounted their comeback.
 
Chance nearly notched a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, adding four assists and a steal in 38 minutes. Devon Cottrell (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Gateway) had eight points and five rebounds after fouling out in just 22 minutes, while Jeffers added seven points.
 
After a few days off for Thanksgiving, IUP returns to the court this weekend as they host the seventh annual IRMC/Urgicare Classic sponsored by Holiday Inn. The Crimson Hawks will play the University of the Sciences on Saturday and the College of Saint Rose on Sunday.