INDIANA, Pa. – Senior forward
Devon Cottrell (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Gateway) scored a career-high 22 points and blocked five shots to help 21st-ranked IUP men's basketball to a 64-57 win over visiting Gannon in the divisional opener on Friday night at the Kovalchick Complex.
Cottrell made his presence felt on the offensive end, finishing 7-of-11 from the field and 8-of-10 from the foul line, while also grabbing five offensive boards. His five blocked shots tied a career-high, as he extended his all-time program record to 172 swats.
The Crimson Hawks improve to 10-2 overall and 5-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) with the victory, keeping their one-game lead in the division. Gannon falls to 5-5 and 3-3 on the year with the loss.
Gannon held the early advantage, taking an 11-3 lead in the game's first four minutes. Senior guard
Brandon Spain (Baltimore, Md./Glen Burnie) ignited the Crimson Hawks as he came off the bench to score seven straight points, while also drawing an offensive foul within a 68 second span.
IUP went on top 17-16 at the midway point, its first lead since the game's opening bucket, on a pair of foul shots by junior guard
Ayron Hutton (Virginia Beach, Va./Cape Henry). The rest of the first half remained stagnant, as the teams went to the break tied at 27-27.
A 12-3 IUP run to start the second gave the Crimson Hawks some breathing room, but a Gannon run tied things up at 42-42 with 10:17 to play. Although IUP held the lead the rest of the way, the game continued to be a back-and-forth affair, with the Crimson Hawks clinging to a 56-55 lead with 2:30 to play.
IUP forced some crucial turnovers down the stretch, and a three-pointer by junior guard
Anthony Glover (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) with foul shots by Cottrell helping to ice the game in the final minutes.
The rebounding edge went to IUP
Gannon is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation, coming into the game with a +10.2 rebounding margin. However, IUP won the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Golden Knights 38-27, with 15 of those coming on the offensive end. Sophomore forward
Jacobo Diaz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain/CBA Gran Canaria) had a game-high 11.
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPMens_Bball.
