EDINBORO, PA – Jeremy Jeffers (Wilson, N.C./Greenfield School) nailed a three-pointer to tie the game at the end of regulation, but missed the mark as the buzzer sounded in overtime as the 16th-ranked Crimson Hawks lost to Edinboro 79-77 on Saturday afternoon.
 
IUP trailed nearly the entire second half, rallying from an eight-point deficit to cut the Fighting Scots lead to 56-55 with 8:00 to go. Edinboro responded with an 11-5 run to push its lead back to seven with just over three minutes to play.
 
Again the Crimson Hawks responded, getting a three-pointer by Shawn Dyer (Marion, Ohio/Marion Harding) followed by a layup from Daddy Ugbede (Gardena, Calif./Serra) to make it a 67-65 game with 1:18 left. Edinboro took a three-point lead by splitting free throw attempts with 12 seconds to go before fouling Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter), sending him to the foul line where he converted both attempts to cut IUP's deficit to 68-67 with six seconds showing on the clock.
 
After the Fighting Scots made both of their free throws to go on top by three points, Jeffers made the game-tying shot at the buzzer to send things to overtime.
 
Ugbede gave IUP an early overtime lead with a layup to lead off the scoring, but the Fighting Scots scored the next five points to take a 75-72 lead with 2:58 to play. A layup by Jeffers on IUP's next possession cut the deficit to one, but Edinboro scored on its next two trips down the floor to take a 79-74 lead with under a minute to play.
 
A three-pointer by Chance made it a two-point game before Edinboro missed a pair of free throws, giving the Crimson Hawks the ball back with just under seven seconds left. After an IUP timeout, Jeffers again would try for the victory, but this time he would miss his three-point try and Edinboro came away with the win.
 
The upset loss, coupled with Mercyhurst's win over Clarion this afternoon, dropped IUP to third place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division with a 14-5 league record. IUP is now a half-game behind the Lakers, who are 15-5 in the conference. They also own the tiebreaker over the Crimson Hawks, having swept the season series. Edinboro improves to 12-12 overall and 9-11 in the PSAC. 
 
The Crimson Hawks were led offensively by Ugbede, who set a new career-high with 26 points in 26 minutes off the bench. The forward went 10-of-14 from the field and 6-of-6 from the foul line.
 
Chance was on the court for all 45 minutes of action, scoring 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting while dishing out six assists. Jeffers and Dyer also reached double-figures in scoring with 15 and 12 points, respectively.
 
The Crimson Hawks outshot Edinboro 48.4 percent to 43.3 percent, but the Fighting Scots had the had a 39-33 edge in rebounding, including 14 on the offensive glass as they totaled 14 second chance points. Jaymon Mason was Edinboro's leading scorer with 24 points.
 
IUP has already wrapped up a spot in the PSAC tournament with three regular season games to go. The Crimson Hawks will host rival Slippery Rock on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.