WEST LIBERTY, W. Va. – IUP erased an early 12-point deficit and outshot Slippery Rock in the second half 55 percent to 39 percent en route to a 73-65 win in the semifinals of the 2015 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Atlantic Region Championships on Sunday night.
 
The third-seeded Crimson Hawks advance to the Sweet 16 for the ninth time in school history and will be looking for its first regional title since 2010. They'll play the winner of regional host West Liberty and Fairmont State on Tuesday night.
 
Shawn Dyer (Marion, Ohio/Marion Harding) led all scorers with 23 points, going 6-of-10 from the field and a perfect 10-of-10 from the foul line. Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) also reached double-figures in scoring with 16 points, as he finished 7-of-8 from the line.
 
As a team, the Crimson Hawks shot nearly 90 percent from the charity stripe, going 26-of-29 on the night. They were clutch down the stretch, going 20-of-22 in the second half, including 13-of-14 in final 2:48 as IUP iced the game.
 
Slippery Rock owned the advantage on the glass, 34-to-24, including 17 alone on the offensive side. Even with that, the Crimson Hawks outscored SRU in the paint 34-to-28.
 
SRU started out on fire from the field, making five three-pointers to take a 19-7 lead less than six minutes into the game. The lead was 10 at 28-18 with under seven minutes to play when the Crimson Hawks started to battle back, scoring seven straight points to make it a 28-25 game with 4:50 left in the half.
 
A three-pointer by Jeremy Jeffers (Wilson, N.C./Greenfield School) with 1:32 left made it a two-point game before SRU took a 36-33 lead into halftime.
 
IUP took a 37-36 lead on a coast-to-coast layup by Chance with 2:13 gone by. It was the Crimson Hawks' first lead since the 18:09 mark of the first half.
 
It was a back-and-forth game for the next 10 minutes, with each team regaining the lead three different times. The Crimson Hawks went on top for good with 7:57 to play, when Daddy Ugbede (Gardena, Calif./Serra) powered in a layup, giving IUP a 50-49 lead.
 
Slippery Rock got it back to one with a pair of foul shots by Antonio Butler with 6:09 to play, but IUP reeled off eight straight points, including back-to-back 17-foot jumpers by Brandon Norfleet (Virginia Beach, Va. /Landstown) and Dyer to go on top 60-51. The Crimson Hawks then used their free throw shooting down the stretch to keep Slippery Rock at arm's length and secure the victory.
 
Norfleet and Ugbede also reached double-figures in scoring with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Slippery Rock, the seventh seed in the Atlantic Region, entered the game with an 18-0 record when taking a lead into halftime. 
 
The win was the 201st for IUP head coach Joe Lombardi, tying the legendary Peck McKnight for second all-time in school history. It was Lombardi's 13th NCAA tournament victory as he'll coach in his fourth regional championship game in his last six seasons. 

Tipoff on Tuesday will be at 7:00 p.m. from the Athletic, Sports and Recreation Center on the campus of West Liberty University.

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