GAMEDAY CENTRAL
IUP Crimson Hawks (9-4, 5-1 PSAC)
vs. Mercyhurst Lakers (5-5, 2-4 PSAC)
Saturday, January 6, 2018 | 4 p.m.
Indiana, Pa. | Kovalchick Complex

Full game notes (PDF)
Stats: IUPstats.com | Stat Broadcast
Radio: WQMU 92.5 FM | u92radio.com | U92.5 Sports App (Android & iPhone)
Video: IUP Comm Media | IUPathletics.com/watch
Social Media: Twitter | @IUP_MBB

COMING UP
Monday, Jan. 8 vs. Slippery Rock (7:30 p.m.) at the Kovalchick Complex
Wednesday, Jan. 10 vs. East Stroudsburg (7:30 p.m.) at the Kovalchick Complex

THE GAME AT A GLANCE
The IUP men's basketball team (9-4, 5-1 PSAC) will play at home for the first time in 2018 when they host Mercyhurst (5-5, 2-4 PSAC) on Saturday. Tipoff at the Kovalchick Complex has been changed to 4 p.m. (Changed from 7:30 p.m.) This is the start of a three-game homestand for the Crimson Hawks as they continue their first round of divisional play. IUP is coming off of an 81-76 comeback win at Pitt-Johnstown on Wednesday, while Mercyhurst lost at Slippery Rock 77-57. 

TIPOFF NOTES
>> This will be the second PSAC West game for both IUP and Mercyhurst this season; IUP had its original divisional opener at Gannon on Dec. 30 postponed to Feb. 12 due to the snowstorm in Erie
>> IUP brings a four-game win streak into Saturday's matchup, and has won eight of its last nine games
>> The Crimson Hawks are 5-1 at home this year, winning each of their last four in Indiana
>> Mercyhurst is 1-5 away from home, it's only win being a 69-55 victory at Daeman (7-6) to open the year
>> Sr. G Anthony Glover, Jr. (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) set a new scoring career-high on Wednesday, finishing with 31 points on 11-17 shooting (6-8 3FGs) while leading the Crimson Hawks to a comeback 81-76 win at Pitt-Johnstown

SERIES WITH MERCYHURST
>> The Crimson Hawks lead the all-time series with Mercyhurst 23-10 
>> IUP owns a four-game win streak in the series, including a three-game regular season and PSAC tournament sweep of the Lakers last season with an average score of 72.0-59.3
>> IUP HC Joe Lombardi is 10-2 at home against Mercyhurst, with those losses coming in the 2013-14 (67-56) and 2014-15 (65-62) seasons

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE LAKERS
>> Mercyhurst is -55 overall and currently sits in sixth place in the PSAC West with a 2-4 league record
>> The Lakers are 0-4 in PSAC road games this year
>> Mercyhurst is second in the PSAC with a scoring defense of 63.5 PPG, but next-to-last with a scoring offense of 67.5 PPG
>> The Lakers are fourth in the PSAC with a rebounding margin of +3.6
>> Mercyhurst's scoring margin in road games this year is -7.2
>> Sr. G Lorenzo Collier is averaging a team-best 15.2 PPG this season with three 20-point games, including a season-high 29 points at Notre Dame (Ohio); he scored just 1 point in the loss to Slippery Rock

CRIMSON HAWKS ON HOT STREAK AFTER EARLY SEASON STRUGGLES
>> After a 1-3 start to the season, the Crimson Hawks have won eight of their last nine games, including a current four-game win streak
>> All four of IUP's losses are to teams currently ranked in the Top 25 by the NABC/D2SIDA - #10/10 Ferris State (86-82), #17/19 Virginia State (69-64), #21/22 Findlay (80-61), and #23/13 West Chester (93-78)
>> In last nine games, Crimson Hawks are outscoring opponents 78.9-70.0, and boast a 41.3 3FG% (93-225)
>> The defense has improved during IUP's current four-game win streak, giving up an average of 63.5 PPG

3-POINT SHOOTING CARRYING CRIMSON HAWKS, ONE OF TOP SHOOTING TEAMS IN THE REGION
>> As mentioned above, the Crimson Hawks are shooting 41.3 percent from beyond the arc in the last nine games (8-1)
>> For the season, IUP is second in the PSAC and fifth in the Atlantic Region with a 39.7 3FG%, converting 124-312
>> IUP returned its top six 3-point shooters from last year's squad that broke single season program records with 303 made treys and 808 attempts
>> Six Crimson Hawks have made double-digit 3-pointers this year, led by 38 from Sr. G Anthony Glover, Jr. (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit); Gr. F Blake Danielak (Georgetown, Tex./Liberty Hill) has 22 and Sr. G Ayron Hutton (Virginia Beach, Va./Cape Henry) has 18
>> Glover is third in the PSAC and 34th in Division II with a 45.8 3FG% (38-83)

Anthony Glover, Jr. (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) LEADS IUP, AMONG PSAC BEST IN SCORING
>> Sr. G Anthony Glover, Jr. (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) is having his best seson, leading the Crimson Hawks and ranking 11th in the PSAC with an averae of 18.2 PPG
>> Glover is one of the best pure shooters in the PSAC, ranking third with a 45.8 3FG%, fourth with 2.9 made 3FGs per game, 13th with an 81.8 FT% (36-44), and 22nd with a 45.8 FG% (81-177)
>> Glover scored a career-high 31 points (11-17 FGs, 6-8 3FGs, 3-4 FTs) in leading an 81-76 comeback win over Pitt-Johnstown (Jan. 3); He scored 20 of his points in the second half
>> He has five games of 20-plus points, scoring in double-figures in 12 of 13 games
>> In his last three games, Glover is averaging 26.0 PPG with a 54.2 FG% (26-48), 53.8 3FG% (14-26) and a 92.3 FT% (12-13) 
>> Glover has scored 960 points in his three seasons at IUP; He's already reached the 1,000-point milestone, totaling 1,178 career points including 218 as a freshman at Chicago State

ALL-AMERICAN Jacobo Diaz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain/CBA Gran Canaria) AVERAGING CLOSE TO A DOUBLE-DOUBLE 
>> Jr. F Jacobo Diaz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain/CBA Gran Canaria) is second on the team with 13.4 PPG and leads the Crimson Hawks with 9.2 RPG
>> His 9.2 RPG are fifth in the PSAC
>> He's posted 6 double-doubles in 13 games this year; That brings his career total to 22 double-doubles, including 14 in 32 games as a sophomore and two in 29 games as a freshman
>> Diaz averaged a double-double with 14.4 PPG and 10.0 RPG in 2016-17; He was the first IUP player since Darryl Webb (Elkridge, Md./Long Reach) in 2010-11 (17.4 PPG, 10.1 RPG) to average a double-double for an entire season
>> Diaz has scored 858 career points and is looking to join the list of 30 former IUP players with 1,000 career points
>> Diaz was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year and honorable mention All-American by the Division II Bulletin last season; He was named a preseason All-American this year