EAST STROUDSBURG, PA – The 20th-ranked Crimson Hawks shot 60 percent from the field and four players scored in double-figures as IUP defeated East Stroudsburg 78-63 in an Atlantic Region men's basketball battle on Saturday afternoon.
 
IUP extends its winning streak to four as the Crimson Hawks improve to 11-2 overall and 5-2 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). East Stroudsburg falls to 7-4 and 6-2. The Crimson Hawks entered the weekend ranked third in the region by D2SIDA while the defending PSAC champion Warriors were ranked seventh.
 
Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) led all scorers with 23 points, going 9-of-15 from the field while draining three three-pointers. He also finished with six assists, five rebounds and two steals in 38 minutes.
 
The Crimson Hawks led nearly the entire game, scoring seven straight points to take a 14-7 lead on a three by Brandon Norfleet (Virginia Beach, Va. /Landstown) less than four minutes into the game. They grabbed a 10-point lead at 24-14 on a layup by Daddy Ugbede (San Mateo, Calif./Serra) – his 10th point of the game – at the 6:20 mark of the half.
 
IUP led by as many as 11 points in the half before heading into the break up by seven at 36-29.
 
The Warriors cut IUP's lead to four early in the second half before the Crimson Hawks responded with a 12-0 run, getting a pair of three-pointers from Jeremy Jeffers (Wilson, N.C./Greenfield School) and another from Chance. The run extended IUP's lead to 16 at 50-34 with 16:32 remaining.
 
ESU got its deficit back down to single digits at 50-41 but the Crimson Hawks went on another run, this one a 13-2 explosion to jump up on top by 20 points. They led by as many as 27 with under five minutes to play before coming away with the 15-point win.
 
Ugbede finished with 19 points, going 8-of-10 from the field, grabbing eight rebounds in just 24 minutes. Norfleet had 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting while Jeffers added 13 points, going 3-of-5 from three-point range.
 
Rasheed Moore led the Warriors with 20 points. Whis Grant had 11 points and seven turnovers.
 
IUP is still just tied for third in the strong PSAC Western Division with that 5-2 record. Slippery Rock is also 5-2 while Gannon is 8-0 and Mercyhurst is 6-2.
 
The Crimson Hawks are back in action tomorrow when they travel south to face West Chester (5-7, 3-4). Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. from Hollinger Fieldhouse.