INDIANA, Pa. – Despite 25 points by senior Brandon Norfleet (Virginia Beach, Va. /Landstown), a poor shooting second half by the seventh-ranked IUP men's basketball team led to a 76-72 loss to visiting Bowie State on Saturday night at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
Norfleet finished 8-of-15 from the field and 8-of-11 from the foul line in 36 minutes. He also added three assists and three steals. The 25 points tied his career-high from January 2014 against Pitt-Johnstown.
 
The loss was the first for IUP, which split its two games in the season opening S&T Bank Atlantic Region Classic. The tipoff tournament also featured Pitt-Johnstown and Urbana.
 
The Crimson Hawks shot nearly 55 percent from the field in the first half as they took a 45-31 lead into the break. Norfleet had 14 points in the opening 20 minutes. IUP led by as many as 21 points in the first half, going on top 45-24 with 2:24 before the buzzer.
 
Bowie State scored 12 straight points early in the second half to cut its deficit to 49-44 with 13:19 on the clock. The Crimson Hawks increased their lead to 11 just a minute later, but Bowie State kept chipping away and eventually tying the game at 65-65 with 2:24 to play.
 
The Bulldogs couldn't miss in the second half, shooting 57 percent in the final 20 minutes. They took a 67-65 lead with 1:34 left but IUP tied the score less than 30 seconds later on a pair of free throws by senior forward Devon Cottrell (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Gateway). Bowie State took a 70-67 lead with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession.
 
A nice reverse layup by junior guard Brandon Spain (Baltimore, Md./Glen Burnie) cut IUP's deficit to 70-69 with less than 23 seconds to play, but after possessions by each team, the Crimson Hawks trailed 74-71 with just under five seconds left. Norfleet went to the line for IUP and made the first attempt, but an intentional miss on his second attempt fell into the hands of Bowie State and the Bulldogs would go on to ice the game from the free throw line.
 
The Crimson Hawks shot just under 30 percent from the field in the second half and finished at 43.4 percent for the night, including 3-of-21 from the three-point line. IUP outrebounded Bowie State 36 to 32 and forced 16 Bowie State turnovers.
 
Spain had 14 points, three assists and three steals. Freshman forward Jacobo Diaz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain/CBA Gran Canaria) grabbed 11 rebounds, scored six points and had two steals in 24 minutes off the bench.
 
The Crimson Hawks return to the court on Wednesday with a big matchup against Mercyhurst in Erie. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
 
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPMens_Bball.