GameDay Central 
No. 5 IUP Crimson Hawks (7-0, 1-0 PSAC) 
vs. Mercyhurst Lakers (3-3, 1-1 PSAC) 
Wednesday, December 3, 2014 | 7:30 p.m. 
Kovalchick Complex | Indiana, Pa. 

IUP Game Notes (PDF)
Live Stats: IUPAthletics.com
Live Audio: U92radio.com

AT A GLANCE
The 5th-ranked Crimson Hawks get back to PSAC play when they host Mercyhurst on Wednesday evening at the KCAC. IUP enters with a perfect 7-0 record, having won a pair of games this weekend in the IRMC/Urgicare Classic. Mercyhurst is coming off an 8-point win at Urbana and has an even 1-1 mark in PSAC action. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Crimson Hawks defeated the University of the Sciences 60-58 and The College of Saint Rose 64-47 during the IRMC/Urgicare Classic this past weekend at the KCAC. IUP had to comeback from 15 points down against The Sciences, as R-Jr. Devon Cottrell (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Gateway) hit a game-winning jumper with 4 seconds left. The Crimson Hawks then used a 15-4 2nd half run against Saint Rose to propel them to the 17-point win.   

SCOUTING MERCYHURST
After suffering a pair of non-conference losses to open the season, the Lakers have won 3 of their last 4, including a PSAC West win over Cal on the road. A good defensive team, Mercyhurst is 5th in the PSAC by giving up 66.8 ppg and forcing opponents into nearly 15 turnovers per contest. Sr. G Callon Dailey has only played in the last 3 games for Mercyhurst, but leads the team in scoring (13.0 ppg), rebounding (6.3 rpg), and assists (3.0 apg). 

WHAT'S NEXT
The Crimson Hawks hit the road on Saturday for a big early season PSAC West battle with Gannon. The matchup features the top two teams in the division. 

IUP IN THE POLLS
The Crimson Hawks moved up two spots to No. 5 in the latest NABC Division II poll, released on Tuesday. IUP is 1 of 19 teams in the poll with an undefeated record at 7-0. The Crimson Hawks also rank 8th in the D2SIDA national poll.

REGIONAL RANKINGS
New this year is the D2SIDA regional poll, which is voted on by a group of four sports information directors in each NCAA Division II region. The Crimson Hawks have been ranked No. 2 in each of the three polls released this season. 

PLAYING DEFENSE
Always boasting one of the best defenses in the region, the Crimson Hawks enter Wednesday's game ranked 4th in Division II by allowing just 56.4 ppg. They've given up 59 points or less in four of their seven games and have an average margin of victory of +16.4. 

NO SHOTS FOR YOU
One of the main reasons for IUP's defensive success is not allowing opponents to get good looks at the basket. The Crimson Hawks are 2nd in the PSAC with an opponent FG% of 38.7. 

STEALING THE SHOW
One of IUP's best defenders is Sr. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter), who's tied for the PSAC-lead with 16 steals this season. He tallied 2 in each of the first three games of the year and has 4 against Seton Hill and St. Rose. 

BLOCK PARTY
Also adding to IUP's defensive prowess is R-Jr. F Devon Cottrell (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Gateway), who is 2nd in the PSAC with 13 blocks. One of the program's best-ever blockers, he's currently 3rd all-time in IUP history with 97 blocks - 6 away from tying Dave Knaub (1982-86) for 2nd and 65 away from Darryl Webb's (2007-11) record of 162.

DISHING IT OUT
The Crimson Hawks lead the PSAC with 122 assists and are 3rd in the conference with 17.43 per game average. They're also 3rd in the league with a assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.24. 

GAME OF CHANCE
Chance leads the way in the passing game for IUP, ranking 2nd in the PSAC and 13th in Division II with 6.6 apg. He's tallied 4 or more in each game this season, dishing out 8 assists against Johnson C. Smith, Seton Hill and St. Rose. 

MOVING UP THE CHARTS
Chance recently moved into the top 10 in IUP history in career assists and is currently 8th all-time with 341 in his 3+ years. He's now 2 behind Dwayne Anthony (1997-00) for 7th place and has a shot at Ashton Smith's (2008-12) all-time mark of 456. 

SUCCESS AT THE LINE
IUP leads the PSAC and is 3rd in Division II with an 83.2 FT% this year. R-So. G Cornell Yarde II (Reading, Pa. /Schuylkill Valley) (12-12) and Jr. F Tevin Hanner (Baltimore, Md./Milford Mill) (9-9) each are perfect from the stripe, while Chance boasts a 94.1 FT% and Jr. F Daddy Ugbede (San Mateo, Calif./Serra) has shot 87.5 pct fromthe line. 

DRAKE DADDY
Ugbede has been a welcome addition to the roster this year, tying Chance for the team-lead with 12.9 ppg. He's lead the Crimson Hawks in scoring three times this season, including point totals of 16, 22 and 22, which is a career-high. In addition to his successful foul shooting, he also leads the team with a 75.6 FG%. 

HIGHLY EFFICIENT
Jr. G Brandon Norfleet (Virginia Beach, Va. /Landstown) is one of IUP's best in converting from the field as he's currently 2nd on the team with a 56.5 FG%. He's had just two games where he's shot below 50 pct, and he averages 8.7 ppg. He leads the PSAC with a 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio, is 2nd on the team with 3.7 apg and 3rd with 4.6 rpg.