GAMEDAY CENTRAL
No. 12 IUP Crimson Hawks (13-2, 8-1 PSAC)
at Millersville Marauders (5-8, 4-5 PSAC)
Wednesday, January 11, 2017 | 7:30 p.m.
Millersville, Pa. | Pucillo Gymnasium

Full Game Notes (PDF)
Live Stats: SidearmStats.com | Fan Stats | Media Stats
Listen: WQMU 92.5 FM | u92radio.com
Listen: Smartphone | U92 Sports App
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THE GAME AT A GLANCE
The 12th-ranked Crimson Hawks finish their three-game road trip on Wednesday when they head to Millersville to face the Marauders. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. from Pucillo Gymnasium. IUP heads into this contest riding a four-game win streak, including Monday night's win at Mercyhurst. The Crimson Hawks lead the PSAC West by two games, boasting an 8-1 league mark. Millersville, however, has lost four straight games by an average of 17 points and has a 4-5 record in the PSAC. 

The game will be broadcast on WQMU 92.5 FM with the voice of IUP Athletics, Jack Benedict, calling the action. You can also listen on u92radio.com and on the u92radio app on your smartphone.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• IUP HC Joe Lombardi is 6-2 all-time against Millersville, having not lost to the Marauders in the last six meetings dating back to the 2008-09 season
• The Crimson Hawks are 4-0 away from home this year, with each of those games being a PSAC contest; IUP is outscoring opponents 70.2 - 59.8 in those four wins, and shooting over 79 percent from the foul line
• Although the Marauders are just 5-8 on the year, they are 4-2 at Pucillo with four straight wins to start the year
• IUP looks to have a huge rebounding edge on Wednesday night, as Millersville enters the contest last in the PSAC with a -11.0 margin on the year; The Crimson Hawks have outrebounded opponents by a combined 18 over their last five games and have an 8-2 record this year when holding that edge
• Under first year HC Casey Stitzel, Millersville is a good three-point shooting team, ranking third in the PSAC with 9.2 treys made per game, including a team-best 47 by Marcus Adkison
• IUP sits fifth in the PSAC in three-point shooting, making 8.9 per game, with Dante Lombardi (Indiana, Pa./The Kiski School) making 35

IUP BOASTS BALANCED SCORING WITH FOUR PLAYERS AVERAGE IN DOUBLE-FIGURES
Even after losing All-American scoring champ Brandon Norfleet (Virginia Beach, Va. /Landstown), the Crimson Hawks' scoring is up so far this year, with four players averaging in double-figures. So. F Jacobo Diaz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain/CBA Gran Canaria) scores a team-best 14.7 per game, while So. G Dante Lombardi (Indiana, Pa./The Kiski School) scores 13.3, Jr. G Anthony Glover (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) averages 13.1, and Sr. F Devon Cottrell (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Gateway)  has a career-best 11.1 points per game. All eight players in IUP's main rotation have hit double-figures at least once this year, with Diaz and Glover each scoring at least 10 points 12 times. 

CRIMSON HAWKS AMONG TOP FREE THROW SHOOTING TEAMS IN THE NATION
IUP is once again converting consistently from the foul line, ranking second in the PSAC and 16th in the nation at 77.8 percent (224-288). The Crimson Hawks have been on fire over their last three games, making a combined 82.0 percent (42-50) from the charity stripe, including a 17-19 effort at Slippery Rock. Seven players are shooting at least 74.5 percent from the charity stripe, led by Cottrell at 83.3 percent. 

THE IUP DEFENSE STEPPING UP AS DIVISIONAL PLAY GETS ROLLING
IUP is sixth in the PSAC giving up 68.9 points per game, but that number is much lower since the start of its Western Division schedule. Over the last four games - all divisional - the Crimson Hawks are giving up just 62.0 points per contest. 

DANTE LOMBARDI NAMED PSAC WEST ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Lombardi was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Week on Monday after averaging 17.5 points and 4.5 assists in two IUP victories last week. The point guard shot 50.0 percent (9-18) from the field and made half of his three-point attempts (6-12) during the week, while also converting 11-12 from the chartiy stripe. 

LOMBARDI PUTTING TOGETHER SOLID SEASON AS A FIRST-YEAR STARTER
Lombardi moved into the starting lineup after being named the PSAC West Freshman of the Year a season ago. Through 15 games, he's second on the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game, has reached double-figures 10 times, and ranks 11th in the PSAC with 4.2 assists per contest. 

JACOBO DIAZ PROVES HIMSELF ONE OF BEST IN THE WEST, AVERAGES A DOUBLE-DOUBLE PER GAME
Landing on the Preseason All-PSAC West team as voted by the coaches, Diaz is living up to that status as he's averaging a double-double with team-bests of 14.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. He's second in the PSAC with seven double-doubles this year, including a streak of four in a row, and also ranks seventh in the league with a field goal percentage of 54.2. 

DEVON COTTRELL HAS ADDED SCORING TO HIS ARSENAL; IS IUP'S BLOCKED SHOTS KING
Missing all but six games last year due to injury, Cottrell has returned to the lineup as a regular starter to average a career-best 11.1 points along with 425 rebounds per game this year. His scoring has picked up recently, posting  a career-high 22 points in the win over Gannon, and has dropped at least 17 three more times in the last seven games. Cottrell also broke Darryl Webb's (2007-11) IUP blocked shots record earlier this season, and heads into this weekend with 174. 

THE CRIMSON HAWKS ARE NEARLY UNBEATABLE AT HOME
In 11 years under HC Joe Lombardi, IUP boasts a record of 143-28 (.836) at home, including a 9-2 mark this year. Lombardi and the Crimson Hawks had 18-0 and 16-1 home records during their 2009-10 and 2014-15 national finalist seasons, and have lost just 14 games in Indiana in the last nine seasons. Since the opening of the Kovalchick Convention & Athletic Complex in 2011-12, the Crimson Hawks have a 77-10 record (.885) in their new arena.