INDIANA, Pa. – Senior guard
Brandon Norfleet (Virginia Beach, Va. /Landstown) scored a career-high 38 points in leading the IUP men's basketball team to an 81-63 victory over visiting Seton Hill at the Kovalchick Complex on Wednesday night.
The huge performance lifted the Crimson Hawks to their eighth straight victory as they improved to 14-5 overall and 11-3 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). They remain a half-game in front of Mercyhurst (13-4, 10-3) for first place in the Western Division.
The 38 points are tied for the 11th most in school history, matching Jack Crossan (1954 and 1956), Lee McCullough (1970), and Terrance Flowers (1997). It's the most for an IUP scorer since Eddie Peterson netted 42 against Juniata in 2005 and set a new record for the most points scored in a game in the five-year history of the Kovalchick Complex.
Norfleet has 12 20-point games this year, including three of 30 or more, and leads the PSAC with 22.5 points per game.
His full stat line on Wednesday was 15-of-23 shooting, including 5-of-6 from three-point range, 3-of-4 from the foul line, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 37 minutes of action.
After the game, IUP head coach
Joe Lombardi called it the "best performance" he's had from a player in his 10 years on the Crimson Hawks' bench. Tonight, Lombardi coached his 300th career game at IUP and improved to 218-82 (.727).
Norfleet helped the Crimson Hawks shoot over 52 percent (31-of-59) for the night, including 9-of-20 from three-point range. IUP outrebounded Seton Hill (7-10, 5-8 PSAC) 36-to-28 and also forced the Griffins into 15 turnovers.
Freshman forward
Jacobo Diaz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain/CBA Gran Canaria) scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds with two steals in 28 minutes off the bench. Senior forward
Tevin Hanner (Baltimore, Md./Milford Mill) finished with eight points and five boards while junior guard
Brandon Spain (Baltimore, Md./Glen Burnie) added seven points, six rebounds and three assists.
The Crimson Hawks are off on Saturday and return to action next Wednesday when they travel to face California (Pa.). Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. with the game featured on ESPN 3 as the NCAA Division II Game of the Week.
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPMens_Bball.
