2015 NCAA Division II Championships - National Quarterfinals
(A3) IUP Crimson Hawks (29-6, 17-5 PSAC)
vs. (W1) Azusa Pacific Cougars (27-5, 17-3 PacWest)
Wednesday, March 25, 2015 | 3:30 p.m. (EST)
Ford Center | Evansville, Ind.

IUP Game Notes (PDF)
Live Video: NCAA.com | NCAA Live Video Schedule 
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Live Stats: NCAA.com | NCAA Stats

AT A GLANCE
The Crimson Hawks head into the Elite Eight for second time in six seasons and battle West Region champion Azusa Pacific in the national quarterfinals on Wednesday afternoon. IUP comes to Evansville as the Atlantic Region champion with a 29-6 overall record while the Cougars are 26-5 in their first eligible year for Division II postseason. 

HOW THEY GOT HERE
IUP - the 3rd seed in the Atlantic - defeated four-time defending regional champion West Liberty 77-74 on its home court in West Virginia last Tuesday. The Cougars were the top seed in the West Region and defeated California Baptist 91-79 in the title game last Monday. 

THE ELITE EIGHT
Joining IUP and Azusa Pacific in the Elite Eight are Mount Olive (Southest #4) and Tarleton State (South Central #1); Southern New Hampshire (East #2) and Florida Southern (South #1); and Bellarmine (Midwest #1) and Minnesota State-Moorhead (Central #2).  

LAST TIME OUT
A three-pointer from Brandon Norfleet (Virginia Beach, Va. /Landstown) with 7.4 seconds left proved to be the game-winner as IUP defeated regional host West Liberty 77-74 to win its sixth regional championship. Gr. G Shawn Dyer (Marion, Ohio/Marion Harding) scored a game-high 23 points while Sr. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) added 19. The Crimson Hawks held Division II Player of the Year Seger Bonifant to just 11 points on 4-9 shooting. 

THE FORD CENTER
This is the second straight year that Evansville and the Ford Center has hosted the Division II Elite Eight, seeing Central Missouri defeat West Liberty 86-83 in 2014. The 290,000 square foot facility opened in Nov. 2011 and is home to the Evansville Aces men's and women's basketball teams and the East Coast Hockey League's Evansville IceMen. It seats 9,000 for basketball games. 

IUP IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
This is IUP's 14th NCAA tournament appearance, including a run of seven straight. This is the program's sixth Elite Eight appearance while also advancing to three Final Fours and the 2010 national championship game. IUP is 27-13 all-time in NCAA postseason games. 

IUP IN THE ELITE EIGHT
IUP is 4-5 all-time at the Elite Eight, including a 3-2 record in the national quarterfinal round. The Crimson Hawks defeated Valdosta State 80-64 in 2010, and also has quarterfinal wins over NW Missouri State (78-72 in 2002) and Central Missouri (90-79 in 1995). 

NCAAs UNDER LOMBARDI
This is Lombardi's seventh NCAA tournament appearance at IUP, leading the Crimson Hawks to a 14-6 record with regional titles in 2010 and 2015. He also led IUP to the national championship game in 2010, defeating
Valdosta State and St. Cloud State before falling to Cal Poly Pomona 65-53 in the final.

TWO HUNDRED
Lombardi hit the 200-win plateau with IUP's victory over Glenville State. He's the fastest IUP coach to reach the milestone and with 202 all-time wins, is second all-time in school history behind Gary Edwards and his 206 career victories.  

THE AZUSA PACIFIC MATCHUP
This will be the second time these two programs have faced each other, as IUP defeated Azusa Pacific 79-74 in the 1974 NAIA national championship game in Kansas City. This Cougars' team brings an experienced lineup to Evansville as each of  the five starters are seniors who have started all 31 games this season. Azusa Pacific and IUP feature starting fives that are built very similar to each other:

Tale of the Tape    Ht.    Wt.
IUP frontcourt    6-6.5    213
Azusa frontcourt    6-5    215

IUP backcourt    6-1.3    185
Azusa backcourt    6-1    187

GUARD-ORIENTED
IUP has been led this postseason by the backcourt duo of Sr. G Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) and Gr. G Shawn Dyer (Marion, Ohio/Marion Harding). The guards have combined to average 38.0 ppg and make 30 3-pointers and 74 free throws in IUP's seven PSAC and NCAA tournament games. 

THE AWARD WINNER
Chance was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year and is a 1st team All-Atlantic Region pick. The co-captain is 4th in the PSAC with 16.5 ppg and 18th in Division II at 5.8 apg. He has four double-doubles and is 10th in Division II with 37.8 mpg. Chance's 202 assists are a school record and the 6th highest total in the nation this season. 

DYER'S POSTSEASON SUCCESS
Dyer was the Atlantic Region Tournament Most Outstanding Player and was a 2nd team All-PSAC West pick. The transfer from West Liberty has a 26-4 record in 30 career postseason games, and has won four straight regional championships. He's averaging 16.5 ppg in those games, including 19.7 ppg in IUP's seven PSAC & NCAA tournament games this year. 

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Crimson Hawks are at their best when the defense performs well as they are 12-1 when holding opponents under 60 points and 25-4 when opponents score less than 70 points in a game. They will face another high-scoring team in Azusa Pacific, which has been held under 70 points in a game just one time this year - a 78-67 loss to Cal Baptist in the PacWest semifinals. 

SCOUTING AZUSA PACIFIC
The Cougars will be making their first NCAA Division II postseason appearance in the school's first year of eligibility. Azusa Pacific has been a mainstay in the NABC national rankings this year, reaching as high as 11th in the poll. The West Region champion and PacWest Conference runners-up feature an All-American in Sr. G Troy Leaf. A high-frequency scorer, Leaf enters the Elite Eight ranked 7th in the nation with 23.4 ppg, boasting a 50.3 FG%, 40.3 3FG% and a 89.4 FT%. The Cougars are 18th in Division II with 83.8 ppg - scoring 80+ 18 times in 31 games - and give up an average of 72.1 ppg.