GAMEDAY CENTRAL
No. 10 IUP Crimson Hawks (16-2, 11-1 PSAC)
at Clarion Golden Eagles (5-12, 3-9 PSAC)
Saturday, January 21, 2017 | 3:00 p.m.
Clarion, Pa. | Tippin Gymnasium

Full Game Notes (PDF)
Live Stats: StretchInternet.com | Stats
Watch: StretchInternet.com | Video
Listen: WQMU 92.5 FM | u92radio.com
Listen: Smartphone | U92 Sports App
Live Updates: Twitter | @IUPMens_Bball

THE GAME AT A GLANCE
With a season-long seven-game win streak on the line, the 10th-ranked Crimson Hawks head to Clarion on Saturday to take on the Golden Eagles. Tipoff at the Tippin Gymnasium is scheduled for 3 p.m. The Crimson Hawks win streak has helped keep them on top of the standings in the PSAC West with an 11-1 league record, two games up on second place Gannon. Clarion ran off four straight wins at the start of the season, but has fallen on hard times over the last month, dropping each of its last eight contests, and has a conference record of 3-9.

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 16-4 all-time against Clarion, incuding 11 straight wins dating back to the 2010-11 season; The Crimson Hawks last loss to Clarion was on Jan. 22, 2011 (73-68 at home)
• IUP has a six-game win streak at Tippin, losing 71-62 in February of it's 2009-10 national finalist season
• The Crimson Hawks are a perfect 5-0 on the road this year, including three away wins over the course of six days at Slippery Rock, Mercyhurst and Millersville; The average scoring margin in their road games is +10.4
• IUP has given up 70 points just twice during its seven-game win steak, allowing 64.7 points during that span
• The Crimson Hawks have hit a fury of three-pointers over the last two games, draining a season-high 14 against Edinboro, followed by 11 on Wednesday against California; The 14 threes are the most for IUP since draining 19 vs. Clarion on Feb. 25, 2015
• IUP has forced at least 11 turnovers in each of its last five games, including 18 against Cal and 17 against Edinboro; Clarion is 15th in the PSAC giving up 15.4 turnovers per game

IUP BOASTS BALANCED SCORING WITH FOUR PLAYERS AVERAGE IN DOUBLE-FIGURES
On the strength of four players who average 10 or more points a game, the Crimson Hawks' offense has remained potent. So. F Jacobo Diaz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain/CBA Gran Canaria) and Jr. G Anthony Glover (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) both average a team-best 14.3 points per game, So. G Dante Lombardi (Indiana, Pa./The Kiski School) scores 13.3, and Sr. F Devon Cottrell (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Gateway) has a career-best 10.3 average. All eight players in IUP's main rotation have hit double-figures at least twice this year, and five different Crimson Hawks have led the team in scoring. 

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 19th in the nation at 77.6 percent (253-326). The Crimson Hawks finished a recent four-game hot streak where they made 83.6 percent (61-73) from the charity stripe, including a 20-23 effort at Millersville. Seven players are shooting at least 71.6 percent from the charity stripe, led by Fr. G Malik Miller (Farrell, Pa./Farrell) at 81.5 percent. 

THE IUP DEFENSE STEPPING UP AS DIVISIONAL PLAY GETS ROLLING
IUP is fourth in the PSAC giving up 68.8 points per game, but that number is much lower since the start of its Western Division schedule. Over the last seven games - six divisional - the Crimson Hawks are giving up just 64.7 points per contest. 

JACOBO DIAZ NAMED TO WATCH LIST FOR BEVO FRANCIS AWARD, GIVEN TO TOP PLAYER IN DII, DIII, NAIA
Diaz is considered one of the best players in Division II, as he was named to the Watch List for the Bevo Francis Award. The award is given to the top player from Division II, Division III, or the NAIA, with the season's first Watch List made up of 100 players. Diaz is one of two players in the PSAC to average a double-double with team-bests of 14.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He's second in the league with seven double-doubles, and ranks 10th in the conference with a 52.4 field goal percentage. 

ANTHONY GLOVER ASSERTING HIMSELF AS ONE OF THE TOP GUARDS IN THE PSAC WEST
Glover is averaging a team-best 17.8 points over the past four games, shooting 55.8 percent (24-43) from the field and 59.1 percent (13-22) from three-point range. He scored a career-high 27 points at Millersville, made the game-winning three-pointer with 6.9 seconds left against Edinboro, and added 20 points in the win over California. 

DANTE LOMBARDI IS ONE OF THE TOP THREE-POINT THREATS IN THE PSAC
Lombardi has made 43-115 (.374) three-point tries this season, ranking eighth in the PSAC in threes made and ninth with 2.4 made per game. He's on a streak of 23 straight games with a made three-pointer, including a career-best six treys in last Saturday's comeback win over Edinboro. Last year's PSAC West Freshman of the Year, he'll soon best the 48 three-pointers he made in 2015-16. 

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 10.3 points per game. 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 10 games. Cottrell also broke Darryl Webb's (2007-11) IUP blocked shots record earlier this season, and heads into this weekend with 177.