WEST CHESTER, Pa. –
Brandon Norfleet (Virginia Beach, Va. /Landstown) hit a 20-footer to give IUP an 89-88 lead with 5.2 seconds to play in overtime, but West Chester's Matt Penecale made a layup at the buzzer on the other end, defeating the Crimson Hawks 90-89 in the semifinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships on Saturday night.
Norfleet finished with 32 points in a game that could arguably be called the conference title game, as it featured the PSAC West Champion Crimson Hawks vs. conference final four host West Chester.
A pair of foul shots by West Chester gave the Golden Rams an 88-87 lead with 25 seconds to play. Norfleet then slowly brought the ball down the court, holding it the entire time as he worked to get the open shot. The senior guard gave himself some room just inside the three-point line towards the right wing, draining the shot to give IUP the one-point lead.
The ensuring inbound pass went to Penecale, who dribbled it the length of the floor down the right sideline, and converted an acrobatic layup as the final buzzer sounded to give West Chester the astonishing victory.
The Crimson Hawks head into Selection Sunday with a 21-8 overall record. They were ranked eighth in the Atlantic Region by the NCAA heading into the weekend, although that number eight ranking did not include Tuesday's PSAC quarterfinal victory over Pitt-Johnstown. The top eight teams in each region make up the Division II field of 64. The conference tournament champions from the PSAC, CIAA and Mountain East will receive automatic bids.
In addition to Norfleet, three Crimson Hawks reached double-figures in scoring, including freshman forward
Jacobo Diaz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain/CBA Gran Canaria) who had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman guard
Dante Lombardi (Indiana, Pa./The Kiski School) finished with 16 points while senior forward
Tevin Hanner (Baltimore, Md./Milford Mill) had 10.
The Crimson Hawks shot 63.0 percent in the first half as they took a 50-39 lead into halftime. They shot just 29.7 percent (11-of-37) in the second half and overtime as West Chester made its comeback.
Division II's field of 64 will be announced on NCAA.com at 10 p.m. on Sunday night.
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPMens_Bball.
