GameDay Central 
No. 5 IUP Crimson Hawks (7-1, 1-1 PSAC) 
at Gannon Golden Knights (3-4, 3-0 PSAC) 
Saturday, December 6, 2014 | 7:30 p.m. 
Hammermill Center | Erie, Pa. 

IUP Game Notes (PDF)
Live Stats: GannonSports.com | Fan Stats
Live Audio: WQMU 92.5 FM | u92radio.com
Live Video: America ONE Sports | Subscription Required 

AT A GLANCE
Coming off their first loss of the season, the 5th-ranked Crimson Hawks hit the road for another tough PSAC West showdown against Gannon in Erie on Saturday evening. IUP had its big comeback fall short on Wednesday night, losing to Mercyhurst 65-62 at home, while Gannon is coming off of a 68-54 win over Clarion. 

LAST TIME OUT
IUP came back from a 15-point deficit to Mercyhurst with 4:36 remaining, but couldn't complete the rally in a 65-62 loss to the Lakers in the KCAC. Sr. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) hit 3 3-pointers in the comeback attempt and ended the game with a team-high 15 points and 6 assists. Gr. G Shawn Dyer (Marion, Ohio/Marion Harding) was the only other IUP player to reach double-figures, finishing with 11 points. 

SCOUTING GANNON
The Golden Knights are undefeated in the PSAC, but have dropped each of their four non-conference matchups this year. Sr. G Adam Blazek, the reigning PSAC West Athlete of the Year, averages 17.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 4.3 apg against conference opponents and Sr. G Girbran Smith leads the team with 13.4 ppg. Always good on the defensive end, Gannon is 2nd in Division II by allowing just 54.3 ppg, allowing 54 or fewer points in 5 games. 
However, the Golden Knights have also scored just 52 or less points in 4 of their 7 games.  

WHAT'S NEXT
The Crimson Hawks are off for 10 days during finals week before returning to the court for PSAC East-West crossovers against Mansfield on Dec. 16 and Lock Haven on Dec. 17. Both games will be played at the KCAC. 

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 opened at No. 15 in the preseason and rose to No. 8 last week. 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. 

SEASON-OPENING STREAKS
Prior to Wednesday's loss, the Crimson Hawks had opened the year with 7 straight wins. It's the 3rd longest winning streak to open a season under HC Joe Lombardi, including a 14-0 start in 2013-14 and an 11-0 start in 2009-10. 

PLAYING DEFENSE
Always boasting one of the best defenses in the region, the Crimson Hawks enter this weekend ranked 4th in Division II by allowing just 57.9 ppg. They've given up 59 points or less in four of their eight games and have an average margin of victory of +14.0

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 5th in the PSAC with an opponent FG% of 40.0. 

STEALING THE SHOW
One of IUP's best defenders is Sr. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter), who's 2nd in the PSAC with 19 steals this season. He tallied 2 in each of the first three games of the year and has a combined 7 in the last two games against Saint Rose and Mercyhurst.

BLOCK PARTY
Also adding to IUP's defensive prowess is R-Jr. F Devon Cottrell (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Gateway), who is 4th in the PSAC with 14 blocks. One of the program's best-ever blockers, he's currently 3rd all-time in IUP history with 98 blocks - 5 away from tying Dave Knaub (1982-86) for 2nd and 64 away from Darryl Webb's (2007-11) record of 162.

DISHING IT OUT
The Crimson Hawks lead the PSAC with 136 assists and are 3rd in the conference with 17.00 per game average. They're also 3rd in the league with a assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.20.

GAME OF CHANCE
Chance leads the way in the passing game for IUP, ranking 2nd in the PSAC and 13th in Division II with 6.5 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 7th all-time with 347 in his 3+ years. He's now 25 behind Jim DeMark (1966-70) for 6th 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 80.6 FT% this year. R-So. G Cornell Yarde II (Reading, Pa. /Schuylkill Valley) (13-13) and Jr. F Tevin Hanner (Baltimore, Md./Milford Mill) (11-11) each are perfect from the stripe, while Sr. F Jeremy Jeffers (Wilson, N.C./Greenfield School) has shot 90.0 pct (9-10) and Chances boasts an 85.0 FT% and Jr. F Daddy Ugbede (San Mateo, Calif./Serra) has shot 83.8 pct. 

OFF THE BENCH
The Crimson Hawks regularly use three players off the bench, with Ugbede showing the most as he's 2nd on the team with 12.1 ppg while playing just 18.0 mpg this year. Yarde II averages 5.6 ppg and 3.0 rpg while shooting 50.0 pct from the field, while Hanner scores 4.9 ppg and grabs 2.8 rpg in his 14.4 mpg off as a substitute.