INDIANA, Pa. –
Anthony Glover (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) led the Crimson Hawks with 14 points and seven rebounds as the IUP men's basketball team defeated visiting California (Pa.) 62-51 on Wednesday night at the Kovalchick Complex.
In a tight game midway through the second half, the Crimson Hawks used a 12-3 run to take a 13-point lead at 52-39 with 6:33 to play en route to the win, improving to 7-5 overall on the season. IUP is now 4-3 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
Junior guard
Brandon Spain (Baltimore, Md./Glen Burnie) began the run for the Crimson Hawks, hitting a jumper to give IUP a 42-36 lead with 11:00 to play. Buckets from
Jacobo Diaz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain/CBA Gran Canaria), Glover,
Daddy Ugbede (Gardena, Calif./Serra) and
Dante Lombardi (Indiana, Pa./The Kiski School), along with another from Spain, increased IUP's lead to 13.
The Vulcans (4-7, 3-4) cut their deficit to six at 54-48 with 3:55 to play, but IUP responded with a three-pointer from Lombardi as the Crimson Hawks increased their lead to 14 points with 15 seconds left to play to seal the victory.
It was a defensive victory for the Crimson Hawks, as they limited Cal to 19-of-50 shooting (38 percent) and outrebounded the Vulcans 40-to-29. IUP also forced the Vulcans into 17 turnovers.
Glover shot 5-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-6 from three-point range.
Brandon Norfleet (Virginia Beach, Va. /Landstown) nearly ended with a double-double, scoring 10 points and dishing out nine assists. He also had three steals on the night in 37 minutes. Ugbede added 12 points and six rebounds.
Cal came out hot in the early going, forcing the Crimson Hawks into seven turnovers in the first seven minutes and took a 17-15 lead with 5:31 to play in the opening half. IUP finished strong, scoring 14 of the next 18 points to take a 29-21 lead into halftime.
The Crimson Hawks hit the road to face division-leading Edinboro (6-3, 6-1) on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. at the McComb Fieldhouse. It'll be the final action for IUP before heading into winter break.
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPMens_Bball.
