CLARION, Pa. – Sophomores Dante Lombardi (Indiana, Pa./The Kiski School) and Jacobo Diaz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain/CBA Gran Canaria) shined on Saturday afternoon, leading 10th-ranked IUP men's basketball to a 70-52 victory at Clarion in the Tippin Gymnasium.
 
Lombardi tied a career-high with 22 points, drilling four three-pointers, while Diaz notched his eighth double-double of the year with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
 
The victory was the eighth straight for the Crimson Hawks, as they improved to 17-2 overall and 12-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). They also stay two games up on second place Gannon (12-5, 10-3) for the PSAC Western Division lead.
 
Although the Crimson Hawks shot just 39.0 percent from the field, their defense turned the heat up on the opposite end of the floor by forcing Clarion into 19 turnovers. IUP had 10 total steals, getting three each from Lombardi and Diaz, and two more from senior guard Brandon Spain (Baltimore, Md./Glen Burnie). IUP also limited the Golden Eagles to a 38.0 field goal percentage.
 
Spain and freshman guard Malik Miller (Farrell, Pa./Farrell) also reached double-figures in scoring, adding 11 and 10 points off the bench, respectively.
 
The Crimson Hawks were again successful from the foul line, going 15-of-16 from the charity stripe. They've hit 83 percent or better from the line in five of their last six games, and eight total times this year.
 
Up next
IUP wraps up the first half of its divisional slate on Wednesday night, playing Seton Hill (8-9, 5-8) in Greensburg.
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPMens_Bball.