INDIANA, Pa. – The Crimson Hawks hit 11 3-pointers and shot better than 52 percent from the field in No. 3 IUP men's basketball's 79-46 win over visiting University of the Sciences (Phila.) Friday night at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
Four players reached double-figures in scoring, led by senior forward Jacobo Diaz with a game-high 18 points. The win was IUP's fifth straight to start the year.
 
The Crimson Hawks also dominated defensively, forcing USciences (2-3) into 17 turnovers and a 33.9 field goal percentage. The Devils shot just 1-of-12 from 3-point range for the game.
 
It was a quick start for IUP, knocking down a pair of threes to take a 10-0 lead right off the jump. A 3-pointer by Dante Lombardi at the 8:37 mark was the Crimson Hawks' sixth of the game and gave them a 29-16 lead.
 
IUP kept making buckets and followed with a 13-4 run, taking a 42-20 lead after another Lombardi triple one minute before the halftime horn.
 
USciences made a small run early in the second half, cutting IUP's 45-24 lead down to just 12 points at 52-40 at the midway point.
 
The Crimson Hawks responded by making six of their next nine shots from the field to go on a 15-0 run over a 5:01 span and take a 67-40 lead into the home stretch. The shots kept falling over the final few minutes as IUP extended its lead into the 30s for its second straight blowout victory.
 
Notes
The Crimson Hawks are ranked No. 3 in the NABC Top 25 and No. 3 in the D2SIDA Top 25 … Also scoring in double-figures were Malik Miller with 16 points, Willem Brandwijk with 12 points, and Lombardi with 11 points … The win was IUP head coach Joe Lombardi's 280th (280-78) in his 13 seasons … The 11 3-pointers are a season-high and the most since the Crimson Hawks made 13 against Edinboro in last year's Senior Night (Feb. 21) … IUP shot just 8-of-21 (.381) from the foul line … IUP outrebounded USciences 38-to-29, with Diaz grabbing a team-high seven.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks face another stiff non-conference test tomorrow with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff against Le Moyne (4-1). Last year under head coach Patrick Beilein, the Dolphins won the East Region and advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history.
 
Follow
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