FAIRMONT, W.Va. – Senior guard Dante Lombardi scored 20 second half points and senior forward Jacobo Diaz posted another double-double as third-ranked IUP men's basketball defeated No. 18 Fairmont State 83-64 Friday night at Joe Retton Arena.
 
Lombardi finished with a team-high 22 points as the Crimson Hawks remained undefeated at 10-0 on the season.
 
The Crimson Hawks led nearly the entire night, shooting a season-best 56.5 percent (35-of-62) from the field with 10 3-pointers.
 
IUP built a double-digit lead at 18-8 at the midway point of the first half as Fairmont State (8-3) opened the game shooting just 3-of-17 from the field. The Falcons got hot, responding with a 14-3 run to take their first lead at 22-21 with 5:48 to play in the half.
 
A 3-pointer by Diaz less than a minute later jumpstarted a run for the Crimson Hawks as they scored 15 straight points and took a 38-26 lead into the break.
 
Diaz finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds for his second straight double-double and fifth of the year
 
The IUP lead increased to 16 early in the second half as the run became 21-2 over a game span of 5:57. Fairmont State found its 3-point stroke, hitting a triple on four straight trips down the floor. The Falcons later went on a 14-5 run and cut the Crimson Hawks' lead to just five at 61-56 with just over nine minutes left.
 
That's when Lombardi took over as he drained three 3-pointers, counting for nine of his 20 second half points. He helped the Crimson Hawks go on an 11-1 run as they regained control and took a 72-57 lead with 6:18 left.
 
That lead grew to as many as 21 points as the Crimson Hawks continued to stay hot and Fairmont State turned cold. IUP shot nearly 65 percent from the floor with six 3-pointers in the second half, offsetting the eight triples from the Falcons.
 
Junior guard Malik Miller scored 20 points, including 11 in the second half. Senior forward Willem Brandwijk had a career-high 15 rebounds.
 
Notes
IUP entered the game ranked No. 3 in both the NABC and D2SIDA Media Top 25 polls … Fairmont State is receiving votes in the NABC and is No. 18 in the D2SIDA poll … At 10-0, this is IUP's best start since opening the 2013-14 season with 14 straight victories … This is IUP's third 10-0 start under head coach Joe Lombardi (2009-10, 2013-13) … The Crimson Hawks ended Fairmont State's eight-game win streak, which included a 106-104 home win over No. 8 West Liberty last weekend … IUP is 3-0 against top 25 opponents this year, adding a 69-67 win over No. 16/15 Virginia State in November and an 88-77 win over No. 11/13 Shippensburg last weekend ... The 64 points by the Falcons is a season-low … IUP had a season-high 45 rebounds and held a season-best +15 rebound margin … IUP shot a season-low seven foul shots, making three … It was fourth 20-point game of the season for Lombardi, including his third in the last four games.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks return home and get back to conference play Tuesday when they host West Chester (5-4, 2-1 PSAC) at the Kovalchick Complex. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. The Golden Rams lost at Slippery Rock 78-64 on December 8. 
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.