INDIANA, Pa. – Junior forward
Jacobo Diaz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain/CBA Gran Canaria) tipped in the game-winning bucket as the buzzer sounded to give sixth-ranked IUP men's basketball a thrilling 83-81 overtime victory over Bloomsburg Sunday at the Kovalchick Complex.
Diaz had quite a day, scoring a career-high 30 points while grabbing 14 rebounds as the Crimson Hawks won for the third time in the last four games to improve to 3-3 overall and 2-0 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
It was Diaz's third double-double in six games this season, going 9-of-14 from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range, and 10-of-10 from the foul line in 39 minutes.
The Crimson Hawks had to mount a comeback, as they trailed 35-29 at halftime and 51-44 with 12 minutes to play.
That seven-point lead was the biggest of the game for Bloomsburg (1-4, 0-2 PSAC), as IUP responded with six straight points to cut its deficit to one just two minutes later. The Huskies did get their lead back to six points, but IUP once again battled back and a 3-pointer by sophomore Malik Miller gave the Crimson Hawks a 66-65 lead with 4:08 to play. The lead for IUP was its first since 42-41 early in the second half.
The lead was exchanged six more times over the final four minutes of regulation, with Miller tying things up at 73-73 with 3.7 seconds left on the clock to send the game to overtime.
There were five more ties in the overtime period, including 81-81 with 30 seconds to play. Coming out of a timeout, an initial IUP offensive chance was rebuffed by the Bloomsburg defense, but
Anthony Glover, Jr. (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) forced the Huskies into a turnover on their rebound with just over three seconds left to play. Glover's layup bounced off the rim, where Diaz was there for the put-back as time expired.
Miller posted a career-high 16 points in 30 minutes off the bench, with forward
Blake Danielak (Georgetown, Tex./Liberty Hill) adding 11 points in 21 minutes as a reserve.
Up next
The Crimson Hawks are back in action on Wednesday with a non-conference road matchup at Bowie State (1-3). Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPMens_Bball.
