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GameDay Central 
No. 12 IUP Crimson Hawks (20-3, 10-3 PSAC West)
vs. Mercyhurst Lakers (14-9, 10-3 PSAC West)
Wednesday, February 18, 2014 | 7:30 p.m. 
Kovalchick Complex | Indiana, Pa. 

Complete Game Notes (.pdf) 

Listen: WQMU 92.5 FM | U92radio.com
Watch: IUP-TV | NMTVSports.com 
Live Stats: IUPAthletics.com | Fan Stats | Media Stats 
Tickets: Comcast TIX | comcasttix.com 

PSAC & National Coverage 
Week 12 Notes | PSAC Statistics | NABC Poll 

Other Links 
IUP Schedule | IUP Roster | Mercyhurst Schedule | Mercyhurst Roster
Previous Meeting Boxscore | Previous Meeting Recap 

AT A GLANCE
The Crimson Hawks look to rebound after a tough loss to Gannon, playing host to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West rival Mercyhurst. Both schools have 10-3 marks in the conference and currently sit in a two-way tie for second place in the West. The Crimson Hawks have won six of their last seven, but fell to Gannon 67-62 in their last outing. Mercyhurst is on a two-game win streak, having also won six of their last seven.

THE SERIES
IUP holds the all-time series advantage with the Lakers, 17-6. All six of the Mercyhurst victories have come in Erie, while the Crimson Hawks have only claimed five road wins.  In IUP's 12 home victories over the Lakers, they have outscored them by an average of 12.7 points per game.

LAST TIME OUT
In the last meeting between these two teams, the Crimson Hawks escaped with a 53-50 victory at Mercyhurst Athletic Center. The win was IUP's first road victory over the Lakers in four seasons. Sr. F Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School) led the way with 14 points, three
rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal. R-So. F Devon Cottrell (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Gateway) added 13 points, six rebounds and three blocks while So. G Brandon Norfleet (Virginia Beach, Va. /Landstown) finished with 12 points, two rebounds and four assists.

M&M FOR MVP
It's already been quite the year for Sr. G Mathis Keita (Thionville, France/Insep) and Sr. F Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School). Both average just shy of 16 points per game and have nearly identical statistics. The duo leads or is near the top in nearly every major offensive and defensive category.
Souberbielle has had eight 20+ point games, while Keita has posted seven, including one 30-point performance.

AFTER A LOSS
Over the past four seasons, the Crimson Hawks are 15-1 following a regular season loss. The only time in those four seasons that they incurred back-to-back losses was earlier this year when they fell to Gannon and California (Pa.). In those games following a loss, they average 74.3 points per game.

RUNNING POINT
Jr. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) has already had a solid year for the Crimson Hawks, averaging 10.9 points per game and leading the team in assists and steals. The point guard averages 4.3 helpers per game, second in the PSAC. With 99 on the season, he's on pace for 111 for the regular season, a new career high. He had a season high nine assists against California on Feb. 12 and a career high seven steals against Kutztown on Dec. 21. His 1.9 steals per game (44 total) is seventh in the conference and he is on pace for close to 50 on the season. 

SCOUTING MERCYHURST
With one of the lowest scoring offenses in the PSAC, Mercyhurst is a defensively minded team, surrendering just 60.4 points per game. No Laker averages double figures as the team is led by So. G Jean Onana's 9.6 points per game. Sr. G Jonathan Ouegnin is the team's leading rebounder, grabbing 5.3 boards per game in addition to his 9.5 points. He's also the team's leading helper, putting up 3.1 assists per game. The Lakers know how to capitalize on turnovers, with the conference's second best turnover margin of 1.70. 

CRIMSON HAWKS BY THE NUMBERS 

58.4	IUP's scoring defense this season, good for second in the nation.
12	IUP's national ranking, falling outside of the top 10 for the first time since the beginning of February.
38.1	The average field goal percentage of IUP's opponents, a defensive mark that is good for second in the conference and fourth in the country.
26.7	IUP's three-point field goal percentage defense, second in the nation. Opponents have connected on just 107-of-401 shots from behind the arc.
2,003	The average home attendance in each of IUP's 12 home games this season, tops in the PSAC and more than 1,000 ahead of second place Gannon.
0	The number of victories Mercyhurst has had against the Crimson Hawks in Indiana.
52	The number of blocks R-So. F Devon Cottrell (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Gateway) has on the season. His average of 2.3 per game is good for third in the PSAC and 29th in the country.
46	The number of conference victories IUP has had since the 2010-11 season, tops in the PSAC.
3	The number of PSAC championships the Crimson Hawks have won in the last four years.