GameDay Central 
No. 3 IUP Crimson Hawks (24-5, 17-5 PSAC) 
vs. No. 2 Mercyhurst Lakers (20-7, 17-5 PSAC) 
Tuesday, March 3, 2015 | 7:00 p.m. 
Mercyhurst Athletic Center | Erie, Pa.  

*Above rankings signify seeds in PSAC tournament

IUP Game Notes (PDF)
Live Stats: HurstAthletics.com | Fan Stats | Media Stats
Live Audio: WQMU 92.5 FM | u92radio.com

AT A GLANCE
The third-seeded Crimson Hawks hit the road to face second-seeded Mercyhurst in the quarterfinals of the 2015 PSAC Men's Basketball Championships on Tuesday. IUP is on a four-game win streak, including its first round win over Pitt-Johnstown, while the Lakers received a bye in the first round as a result of their No. 2 seed in the Western Division. 

HOW THEY GOT HERE
IUP earned the third seed in the PSAC West with a 17-5 league record, tying Mercyhurst for second but losing out on the tiebreaker to the Lakers. The Crimson Hawks advanced in the tournament with a convincing 82-63 win at home over UPJ in the first round on Saturday. 

THE WEST BRACKET
The Crimson Hawks and fourth-seeded Slippery Rock moved on to the quarterfinals with first round wins over UPJ and Edinboro, respectively. Slippery Rock will play at Gannon on Tuesday and the highest remaining seed left in the West will host the semifinals and finals this Saturday and Sunday.

LAST TIME OUT
IUP posted its 31st all-time PSAC tournament victory with an 82-63 win over UPJ on Saturday. Five players scored in double-figures for IUP, including Sr. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) who had a team-high 18 points to go along with 8 assists. 

IUP IN THE PSAC TOURNAMENT
This is IUP's 28th all-time PSAC tournament appearance, including its 8th straight under HC Joe Lombardi. IUP is 11-4 in the conference tournament since 2008, with PSAC titles in 2010, 2011 and 2013. IUP is third all-time in conference history with nine PSAC championships, also winning it in 1960, 1974, 1995, 2000, 2002 and 2004. 

THE MERCYHURST MATCHUP
The Lakers swept the season series with IUP this year and have won six of the last 11 overall matchups dating back to the 2010-11 season. IUP is just 5-7 playing against Mercyhurst in Erie all time, including 3-5 under HC Joe Lombardi. 

ROAD WARS
The Crimson Hawks are 8-4 on the road this season, including losses at Gannon, Mercyhurst and Edinboro. IUP is 13-15 in road PSAC tournament games, but this will be its first conference playoff game in Erie.

WHAT'S NEXT
If the Crimson Hawks win on Tuesday, they'll advance to the semifinals of the PSAC tournament this weekend. The host school for the semifinals and championship game will be the highest remaining seed from the West - either Gannon, Mercyhurst or IUP. Saturday tipoffs are 1 & 3:30 PM. 

NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS
IUP moved up to No. 2 in Wednesday's release of the NCAA Division II regional rankings. These rankings determine the eight teams from each region that make the field of 64. New rankings will come out each week with the bracket announcement coming on Sunday night, March 8. 

Atlantic Region Rankings
1. West Liberty
2. IUP          
3. Gannon    
4. Mercyhurst   
5. Bowie State
6. Fairmont State 
7. Slippery Rock 
8. Concord

IUP IN THE POLLS
The Crimson Hawks headed into the postseason ranked No. 24 in the NABC coaches' top 25 poll. A new poll is set for release this Tuesday afternoon.  
 
THE ASSIST KING
Sr. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) is IUP's all-time assist leader with 468, moving past former teammate Ashton Smith (2008-12) and his 456 assists against Clarion. Chance heads has 173 this season, the third most in a season at IUP and is 23 short of tying Fred Kerr's (1990-91) record of 196. 

THE 1000/400 CLUB
Chance is one of four players in IUP history to score 1000 points and dish out 400 assists for his career. In addition to being IUP's all-time assist leader, he's 21st in school history with 1122 points. He's joined in the club by Smith (1635, 456), Eddie Peterson (1621, 425) and Yancey Taylor (1257, 406). 

2-FOR-60
The Crimson Hawks are the only team in the PSAC with two players with more than 60 made 3's in Chance and Gr. G Shawn Dyer (Marion, Ohio/Marion Harding). The backcourt tandem has combined to shoot 133-340 (.391) from long range. 

DYER'S POSTSEASON SUCCESS
Including his three years at West Liberty, Dyer is 21-3 in postseason games. He's averaging 15.5 ppg and 4.1 rpg, while shooting 51.4 pct from the field and 44.6 pct from 3-point range. 

STREAKING
Sr. F Jeremy Jeffers (Wilson, N.C./Greenfield School) has hit at least one 3-pointer in 20 straight games, a streak that dates back to Dec. 16. He's 42-89 (47.2 pct) during that span and is 2nd on the team with a 40.9 3FG% and 3rd with 47 made 3's on the year. 

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Crimson Hawks are at their best when the defense performs well as they are 9-1 when holding opponents under 60 points and 21-3 when opponents score less than 70 points in a game. Mercyhurst has scored 65 and 58 points in games against IUP this season and averages 67.0 points per game.

SCOUTING MERCYHURST
Just 16th in the PSAC in scoring, the Lakers have picked up the offensive pace the last three games, posting totals of 81 (Clarion), 81 (UPJ) and 76 (Seton Hill). Despite their recent scoring output, they've kept the defensive pressure high, allowing just two teams score more than 60 points in a game. (Clarion, 65 & UPJ, 72). Mercyhurst has a rotation of around 9-10 players, with seven averaging at least 20 minutes per game. Just two score in double-figures, including Jr. G Damon Jones (10.9 off the bench) and R-Jr. G Gerrae Williams (10.3). 

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