ERIE, Pa. – Freshman guard Dante Lombardi (Indiana, Pa./The Kiski School) scored 18 points, but the seventh-ranked Crimson Hawks turned the ball over 19 times as the IUP men's basketball team lost to Mercyhurst 64-57 on Wednesday night at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
 
The loss was the second straight for the Crimson Hawks, who start their Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) schedule with a loss and are now 1-2 overall on the year.
 
IUP outshot Mercyhurst (2-0, 1-0 PSAC) 45 percent to 39 percent on the night, and made 7-of-16 three-point field goals. But the Lakers went 24-of-31 from the free throw line compared to just 12-of-20 for the Crimson Hawks, and outrebounded IUP 33-to-30 on the night.
 
The 1-2 start is the worst since IUP lost two if its first three games in the 1999-2000 season. That year, under Gary Edwards, IUP won the PSAC and the East Region Championship, advancing to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
 
IUP played shorthanded all night as only seven Crimson Hawks saw playing time. Senior guard Brandon Norfleet (Virginia Beach, Va. /Landstown) was on the floor for all 40 minutes, finishing with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting with six rebounds and two assists.
 
Five IUP players were in foul trouble, with sophomore guard Anthony Glover (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) and senior forwards Devon Cottrell (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Gateway) and Tevin Hanner (Baltimore, Md./Milford Mill) each finishing with four fouls on the night. Senior forward Daddy Ugbede (Gardena, Calif./Serra) had three fouls in eight minutes, finishing with six points.
 
The Crimson Hawks last held the lead at 14-13 with 13:14 left in the opening quarter. Mercyhurst then went on a 16-5 run to take a 10-point lead before going into the break with a 35-25 advantage.
 
Mercyhurst jumped on top by 13 points at 45-32 five minutes into the second half but Norfleet quickly closed the gap to eight with a three-pointer at the 13:26 mark. IUP closed the gap to five at 56-51 with 2:33 left, but the Lakers responded with a 6-1 run to close out a seven-point victory.
 
IUP is 3-6 in its nine games under head coach Joe Lombardi at Mercyhurst, including three straight losses from 2010-12. The 57 points tonight was the most at Mercyhurst since the Crimson Hawks scored 61 in 2010.
 
The Crimson Hawks' schedule doesn't get any easier this weekend as they host PSAC East foes East Stroudsburg on Saturday and West Chester on Sunday.
 
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPMens_Bball.