WEST LIBERTY, W. Va. – Brandon Norfleet (Virginia Beach, Va. /Landstown) knocked down the go-ahead three-pointer with 7.4 seconds left to help give IUP a 77-74 win over West Liberty in the 2015 NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Championship. The Crimson Hawks are headed to the Elite Eight for the sixth time in school history.
 
Shawn Dyer (Marion, Ohio/Marion Harding) was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Atlantic Region tournament, scoring a game-high 23 points against West Liberty while averaging 18.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and shooting a perfect 16-of-16 from the foul line in the regional's three games.
 
This is the sixth regional championship in IUP's history and its first since its national runner-up season of 2010. It's head coach Joe Lombardi's second regional championship in his nine seasons at IUP.
 
The Crimson Hawks will now head to Evansville, Ind. for the 2015 NCAA Division II National Championships and will face Azusa Pacific (Calif.), the top seed out of the West Region, on Wednesday, March 25.
 
Norfleet's game-winner came out of a timeout with 42 seconds left, as the Crimson Hawks whittled the shot clock down to nearly zero before Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) made a perfect pass to Norfleet for the shot.
 
West Liberty had one final chance to tie, but a three-pointer by Devin Hoehn didn't connect and the Crimson Hawks celebrated the victory.
 
IUP improves to 29-6 on the season while West Liberty falls to 28-4. It ends a streak of four straight Elite Eight appearances by the Hilltoppers.
 
The first half saw both teams play highly efficient basketball as West Liberty went into the locker room with a 45-43 lead. The Crimson Hawks outshot West Liberty in the first 20 minutes – 55.6 percent to 53.3 percent – but the Hilltoppers made 9-of-16 three-pointers to create the difference.
 
The play slowed dramatically in the second half, as the Crimson Hawks routinely ran the shot clock below 10 seconds before trying to create a shot. The style worked in their favor as they shot over 60 percent in the second half and made 4-of-8 three-point attempts.
 
The Crimson Hawks took their first lead since early in the first half on a fastbreak layup by Dyer to make it a 53-52 game with 12:51 to play. Big shots by Dyer, Chance and a three-pointer by the corner by Jeremy Jeffers (Wilson, N.C./Greenfield School) put IUP on top 60-54 with 10:18 showing on the clock.
 
West Liberty fought back, hitting back-to-back three-pointers to tie the game at 60-60 less than a minute later.
 
Jeffers later hit another three to give IUP a 65-62 lead and with 3:38 to play, Dyer drilled a triple to give the Crimson Hawks a 72-66 advantage.
 
Again the Hilltoppers fought back, getting a pair of three-pointers by CJ Hester and Atlantic Region Player of the Year Seger Bonifant to tie the game at 72-72 with 2:41 to play. After an IUP turnover, Bonifant hit a jumper to put West Liberty on top 74-72 with 1:55 to play.
 
On IUP's next possession, Dyer found Devon Cottrell (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Gateway) under the basket as the layup tied the score at 74-74 with 1:08 left. The Crimson Hawks then forced Bonifant into a turnover, as Norfleet came up with the ball and IUP called a timeout, setting up the game-winner.
 
Norfleet finished with nine points as that three-pointer was his only attempt from behind the arc all game long. Chance scored 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, dishing out seven assists and getting three steals in the full 40 minutes. Chance joined Dyer on the All-Tournament Team.
 
Cottrell finished with 11 points, as three of his seven total rebounds came on the offensive glass. He also was huge defensively for the Crimson Hawks, blocking three shots on the night.
 
Dyer went 7-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-8 from three-point range, and also went a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line.
 
IUP shot 58 percent on the night, including 9-of-17 from three-point range. The Crimson Hawks also went 10-of-13 from the foul line and out-rebounded West Liberty 29-to-19.
 
The Crimson Hawks also limited West Liberty's hot shooting, as the Hilltoppers came into the game shooting over 67 percent in their two previous NCAA games, but shot 51.9 percent tonight.
 
Hester led West Liberty with 22 points while Bonifant was held by the Crimson Hawks to just 11 points. Hester and Bonifant made the all-tournament team along with Fairmont State's Nick Harney.