Tweet #IUPMBB

GameDay Central 
No. 10 IUP Crimson Hawks (23-3, 11-3 PSAC West)
vs. Mercyhurst Lakers (16-11, 11-5 PSAC West) 
Tuesday, March 4, 2014 | 7:00 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: ComcastTix.com 

PSAC & National Coverage 
PSAC Tournament Home Page | PSAC Statistics | NABC Poll | Regional Rankings 

Other Links 
IUP Schedule | IUP Roster | Mercyhurst Schedule | Mercyhurst Roster 
First Meeting Boxscore | First Meeting Recap | Second Meeting Boxscore | Second Meeting Recap 

AT A GLANCE
The Crimson Hawks kick off postseason play, hosting Mercyhurst in the quarterfinal round. IUP comes in as the second seed, having earned a first round bye. The Lakers are the third seed and defeated No. 6 California (Pa.) 54-50 in the first round of play on Saturday afternoon. This is the third meeting between these two teams this season, as the Crimson Hawks defeated the Lakers in both regular season matchups. IUP finished the regular season with a record of 23-3, 13-3 in the PSAC West and ranked 10th in the nation. The Lakers wrapped up regular season play with a record of 15-11, 11-5 in the PSAC West.

THE SERIES
IUP holds the all-time series advantage with the Lakers, 18-6. All six of Mercyhurst's victories have come in Erie, while the Crimson Hawks have claimed just five road wins. In IUP's 13 home victories over the Lakers, they have outscored them by an average of 10.4 points per game.

LAST TIME OUT
In the last meeting between these two teams, the Crimson Hawks walked away with a 74-66 victory at the KCAC. Four players finished the night in double figures led by 18 points from So. G Brandon Norfleet (Virginia Beach, Va. /Landstown) and Jr. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter). Sr. G Mathis Keita (Thionville, France/Insep) added 13 points and Sr. F Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School) registered 12. The team shot 48.9 percent from the floor and 92.6 percent from the charity stripe, connecting on 25-of-27 free throws. IUP was able to capitalize off of 15 turnovers and 21 personal fouls from the
Lakers, as they outshot the Crimson Hawks, going 54.3 percent from the floor.

PSAC TOURNAMENT DOMINANCE
The Crimson Hawks have been dominant in PSAC tournament play as of late, claiming three of the last four conference championships and six since 2000. The defending PSAC champions have advanced to the conference tournament in each of the last six years. In PSAC championship history, they boast nine titles, third most in the conference and first in the West, winning the crown in 2013, 2011, 2010, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1995, 1974 and 1960.

Since 2009-10, the Crimson Hawks are 4-0 in their first game of the tournament and 10-1 in tournament play. Last season, they defeated Edinboro 89-87 in overtime in the first round of play, moving on to defeat West Chester 92-76 in the semifinals and Slippery Rock 52-46 in the finals, all at the KCAC.

M&M FOR MVP
It was quite the regular season for Sr. G Mathis Keita (Thionville, France/Insep) and Sr. F Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School), who  posted nearly identical statistics in a record-setting year. Both average just shy of 16 points per game and lead or are near the top of the team in nearly every major offensive and defensive category. Souberbielle has had nine 20+ point games while Keita has posted eight, including one 30-point performance.

SCOUTING MERCYHURST
The Lakers boast one of the PSAC's top defenses, allowing opponents to score just 60.0 points per game. Stellar on defense, Mercyhurst struggles on the offensives side of the ball, scoring a conference-low 62.1 points per game. Only one player averages double figures in So. G Jean Onana's 10.6 per game. Sr. G Jonathan Ouegnin leads the team in nearly every category, with 5.2 rebounds per game, 3.2 assists per game, 1.7 steals per game, a field goal percentage of 53.5 and a free throw percentage of 73.0.

CRIMSON HAWKS BY THE NUMBERS
58.8	IUP's scoring defense this season, first in the PSAC and second in the nation.
49.6	The field goal percentage of Sr. G Mathis Keita (Thionville, France/Insep) this season, good for eighth in the conference.
38.9	The field goal percentage defense of the Crimson Hawks this season, allowing opponents to convert on just 543-of-1396 shots, first in the PSAC.
4.5	The average number of assists from Jr. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) on the season, second in the conference. He's registered a career-high 116 helpers.
3	IUP's standing after two rounds of regional rankings. They sit behind first place West Liberty and second place East Stroudsburg.
2	The number of victories IUP has claimed against the Lakers this season.
83	The total number of All-PSAC honors that IUP players and coaches have received through the 2012-13 season.
49	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.