INDIANA, Pa. – The No. 5 IUP men's basketball team extended its winning streak to 11 with a 67-56 victory over Mercyhurst in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (West) play on Wednesday night at the Kovalchick Complex.

With the win the Crimson Hawks improve to 20-2 overall behind a 15-1 mark in league play. The win also marks the ninth consecutive season that IUP has won at least 20 games. Meanwhile, the Lakers fall to 8-11 overall and 6-9 in PSAC play.

Redshirt senior Devon Cottrell (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Gateway) scored a team-high 15 points while adding six rebounds (three offensive) and a career-high seven blocks. His seven blocks are the most since Darryl Webb tallied seven against East Stroudsburg on March 4, 2011. Sophomore Dante Lombardi (Indiana, Pa./The Kiski School) scored 13 points and dished out five assists. Classmate Jacobo Diaz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain/CBA Gran Canaria) and redshirt junior Blake Danielak (Georgetown, Tex./Liberty Hill) each scored 11 points.

Mercyhurst took an early 10-5 lead on a three-pointer Kordell Holness-Lightbody at the 15:43-mark of the first half. IUP answered then tied the game after a 10-5 run of its own highlighted by a layup from sophomore Jacobo Diaz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain/CBA Gran Canaria) midway through the half. The Crimson Hawks took a 25-21 lead with 4:48 to play in the half on a three-pointer from Anthony Glover (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit). Minutes later sophomore Dante Lombardi (Indiana, Pa./The Kiski School) made a three-pointer to push the lead to 31-26 with 1:38 left in the half.

In the second half, the Crimson Hawks pushed the lead to 36-30 on a pair of free-throws from Lombardi at the 18:54-mark. The Lakers then used a 13-7 run to tie the game at 43-43 with 12:47 to play in the second half on a layup from Lorenzo Collier. IUP answered emphatically with a 14-4 run over a nearly eight-minute stretch to take a 57-47 lead. The Crimson Hawks made 6-of-10 shots while forcing five Laker turnovers and limiting Mercyhurst to just 2-of-7 from the field during the run. A three-pointer from Blake Danielak (Georgetown, Tex./Liberty Hill) pushed the IUP lead to 64-50 with 3:01 remaining before the closing out the win.

IUP shot 53.2 percent (25-of-47) from the field including 50.0 percent (8-of-16 from beyond the arc). Mercyhurst shot 41.7 percent (20-of-48) for the game. IUP held a commanding 34-18 rebounding margin.

Collier led Mercyhurst with a game-high 18 points while Durrell McDonald added 13 points.

Up Next
The Crimson Hawks continue PSAC West play on Saturday, February 4 when they host Slippery Rock at 7:30 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.