JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Senior guard
Anthony Glover, Jr. (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) scored a career-high 31 points, helping the Crimson Hawks to a come-from-behind 81-76 win at Pitt-Johnstown on Wednesday night.
Glover netted 20 of his points in the second half as IUP outscored the Mountain Cats 47-33 in the final 20 minutes. He shot 11-of-17 from the field including six 3-pointers in 37 minutes in the comeback win. He also went 3-of-4 from the foul line, dished out three assists and had two steals.
It was the division opener for the Crimson Hawks, who earned their fourth straight victory and eighth in their last nine games. They are now 9-4 overall and 5-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
IUP trailed 43-34 at halftime as both teams combined to shoot 55.6 percent from the floor and 13-of-23 from 3-point range. The difference in the opening half came on the boards, with Pitt-Johnstown outrebounding the Crimson Hawks 17-to-8.
The Crimson Hawks chipped away at their deficit, tying the score at 58-58 midway through the second half. It was a back-and-forth struggle the rest of the way with two ties and six lead changes over the next 8:18.
With the Mountain Cats (6-5, 4-3) leading 71-68 with 3:15 to go,
Dante Lombardi (Indiana, Pa./The Kiski School) drained one of his two 3-pointers to tie things up. Glover then gave the Crimson Hawks a 74-72 two possessions later with a 3-pointer of his own with 1:31 to play.
Glover made two more key buckets in the final minute – slicing in for a layup after a
Malik Miller (Farrell, Pa./Farrell) steal and hitting another 3-pointer to put IUP on top by five points with 20 seconds left.
Jacobo Diaz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain/CBA Gran Canaria) iced the comeback with a pair of foul shots in the final seconds.
The Crimson Hawks made nine 3-pointers during their second half comeback, limiting Pitt-Johnstown to a 0-of-8 performance from beyond the arc.
Up next
The Crimson Hawks start a three-game home streak this weekend when they host Mercyhurst on Saturday night at the Kovalchick Complex. Tipoff is scheduled for 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.
