INDIANA, Pa. – Senior forward Jacobo Diaz led all scorers with 29 points to lead the eighth-ranked IUP men's basketball team to a 106-77 win over visiting Westminster Monday night at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
The 29 points is a season-high for Diaz as he added 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season and 31st of his career. He shot 9-of-13 from the field and a perfect 11-of-11 from the foul line, the best performance from the charity stripe of his career.
 
Diaz was one of four Crimson Hawks to score in double-figures, joined by senior guard Dante Lombardi with 18 points, senior forward Willem Brandwijk with 14 points, and junior guard Malik Miller with 14 points.
 
IUP improved to 4-0 on the season with the 29-point victory. It's the first 100-point game and biggest win since the Crimson Hawks defeated Clarion 102-68 on February 14 of last season.
 
Westminster (1-2) stayed in the game with lights out shooting as the Titans converted 52 percent from the field and 11-of-19 from 3-point range.
 
The Crimson Hawks' largest lead of the first half came after a layup by senior forward Marko Krivacevic that put IUP on top 38-21 with 7:01 to play. The Titans responded with a 16-4 run to narrow the gap to five points, the closest they'd get the rest of the game.
 
Westminster did manage to close its deficit to eight points at 63-55 with 13 minutes left to play in the game, but the Crimson Hawks ripped off a 12-4 run and put up nearly 30 points over the last eight minutes of play as they outmatched the Titans down the stretch.
 
Notes
Tonight marked the fifth 100-point performance for IUP in 13 seasons under head coach Joe Lombardi … It's the second most points scored under Lombardi and most since posting 109 against Penn State Fayette during the 2008-09 season … The eight fouls committed by IUP is also the lowest game total under Lombardi … Diaz's three double-doubles are tied for the fourth most in Division II this season … The .548 shooting percentage (40-for-73) by the Crimson Hawks Monday was a season-best … With nine dimes, Dante Lombardi fell one assist shy of his third career double-double.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks host the IUP Thanksgiving Classic this weekend at the Kovalchick Complex. IUP will face USciences (1-2) Friday and Le Moyne (2-1) Saturday, both tip times are set for 7:30 p.m.  
 
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.