GAMEDAY CENTRAL
(3/3) IUP Crimson Hawks (14-0, 7-0 PSAC)
at Slippery Rock "The Rock" (9-5, 6-1 PSAC)
Saturday, January 12, 2019 | 3 p.m.
Slippery Rock, Pa. | Morrow Field House (3,000)
*Rankings reflect NABC/D2SIDA Top 25 Polls

HOW TO FOLLOW
Stats: RockAthletics.com | Sidearm Stats
Watch: RockAthletics.com | Rock Digital Network
Video App: PSAC Sports Network
Radio: WQMU 92.5 FM | u92radio.com
Audio App: U92.5 Sports App (Android & iPhone)
Social Media: Twitter | @IUP_MBB

GAME PREVIEWS
IUP Game Notes (PDF)
Slippery Rock M. Basketball Page

COMING UP
Wednesday, January 16 at East Stroudsburg, 8 p.m.
Saturday, January 19 vs. Edinboro, 7:30 p.m.

THE GAME AT A GLANCE
No. 3 IUP men's basketball (14-0, 7-0 PSAC) continues its three-game road swing Saturday with a matchup at Slippery Rock (9-5, 6-1). Tipoff at the Morrow Field House is scheduled for 3 p.m. The Crimson Hawks are off to one of the best starts to a season in program history and are coming off a 77-66 comeback win over Mercyhurst in Erie Wednesday. The Rock brings a 7-game win streak into the matchup including a 95-84 victory at Cal U. 

TIPOFF NOTES
>> Jr. G Malik Miller scored 17 of his game-high 21 points in the second half as IUP rallied from a halftime deficit in Erie Wednesday night. Sr. Fs Jacobo Diaz (12 & 11) and Willem Brandwijk (14 & 10) each tallied double-doubles and Sr. G Dante Lombardi added 18 points in the victory. 
>> IUP trailed Mercyhurst by 7 points (37-30) at halftime. It's the fourth time this season the Crimson Hawks have rallied from a halftime deficit - Virginia State led 37-31, LeMoyne led 30-23, and Shippensburg led 45-40. 
>> A win would give the Crimson Hawks their best start (15-0) in 13 seasons under HC Joe Lombardi. He also guided IUP to a 14-0 start to the 2013-14 season. 
>> It would also give this team the program's 3rd best start in its history. The 1991-92 team opened with 24 straight wins and the 1994-95 team started 21-0.
>> Those are also the top two win streaks in program history. Lombardi helped the 2016-17 squad to 18 straight victories during the year and four different teams have won 14 consecutive games. 
>> Lombardi has a lifetime record of 23-6 against Slippery Rock, including a 7-6 mark in games at Morrow. 
>> Eight of those games at Slippery Rock have been decided by 5 points or less. IUP is 4-4 in those games. 
>> The Crimson Hawks have won four straight in their series with Slippery Rock, including road wins of 67-65 last year and 65-50 in 2016-17.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE ROCK
>> Slippery Rock is 9-5 overall and trails IUP by one game in the PSAC West with a 6-1 league record. 
>> The Rock enters with a 7-game win streak, the third longest streak in the PSAC this season. 
>> 6 of those wins came against league opponents with another victory coming at Salem (79-51) in December.
>> SRU is 6-1 at home this season and have a +11.0 scoring margin against PSAC teams in Morrow Field House. 
>> The Rock's five losses have come to teams with a combined record of 48-19 (incl. NDC, Fairmont St. & ESU).
>> SRU is 4th in the PSAC in scoring at 82.6 PPG. They've scored 90+ five times, including three times in the five games against conference opponents. 

CRIMSON HAWKS ONE OF TOP TEAMS IN THE NATION
>> IUP has been ranked No. 3 in both the NABC and D2SIDA Media Top 25 polls for six straight weeks. IUP opened the year at No. 8 in the coaches and No. 6 in the media preseason polls.
>> The Crimson Hawks are 3-0 against teams ranked in the top 25 - (16/15) Virginia State, 69-67; (11/13) Shippensburg, 88-77; and at (RV/18) Fairmont State, 83-64. 
>> They are one of six remaining undefeated programs in Division II.
>> IUP received all six first place votes in the latest D2SIDA Atlantic Region rankings for the six straight release. 
>> The Crimson Hawks also received national attention from preseason magazines, earning a No. 3 ranking by Street & Smith's and a No. 13 ranking from the Division II Bulletin. 

IUP WENT 7-0 AGAINST STRONG NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
>> The Crimson Hawks wrapped up a 7-0 non-conference schedule that included two top 25 teams, and a group of six Division II schools that went a combined 121-60 (.669) a season ago. 
>> Those six Division II schools are a combined 50-31 (.617) this season, including a combined 19-6 record by MEC schools Concord and Fairmont State. 
>> Three schools are ranked in the top six of the latest D2SIDA Atlantic Region poll - Fairmont State at No. 3, Concord at No. 4 and Virginia State at No. 6. 
>> IUP owned an average scoring margin of +17.0 in their seven non-conference games.

CRIMSON HAWKS OFF TO ONE OF BEST STARTS IN LOMBARDI ERA
>> This marks the third start of at least 10-0 under HC Joe Lombardi in his 13 years at IUP (2009-10, 2013-14).
>> A win Saturday would be Lombardi's best start ever. He led IUP to a 14-0 record to open the 2013-14 season. 
>> The Crimson Hawks began the 2009-10 season with 11 straight victories en route to a national finalist finish.
>> This is Lombardi's sixth win streak of more than 14 games. His longest was 18 straight wins in 2016-17.
>> IUP is 34-2 (.944) against PSAC West teams in the last three years, including 16-1 on the road. 

JACOBO DIAZ ONE OF THE TOP PLAYERS IN DIVISION II
>> Sr. F Jacobo Diaz is one of the top players in the PSAC, the Atlantic Region, and in Division II. 
>> He ranks in the top 10 in the PSAC in 13 statistical categories, including 5th in scoring (19.2 PPG) and 6th in rebounding (8.5 RPG). His 7 double-doubles are 2nd in the conference. 
>> Diaz has led IUP in scoring six times this year and has seven different 20-point performances. He scored a season-high 29 points in 31 minutes against Westminster.
>> Diaz was named PSAC West Athlete of the Week twice this year (Nov. 12, Nov. 26). 

DANTE LOMBARDI ONE OF TOP POINT GUARDS IN PSAC
>> Sr. G Dante Lombardi is the only player in the PSAC averaging better than 15 points and 5 assists per game. 
>> His 15.8 PPG average is 3rd on the team and 18th in the PSAC. His 5.4 APG is 2nd in the league. 
>> Lombardi is also tied for 4th in the PSAC with 2.9 3-pointers per game and 15th with a 36.4 3FG%. 
>> He has four 20-point games this year, hitting the mark three times in the last eight games. 

MALIK MILLER PROVING TO BE VALUABLE BACKCOURT SCORER
>> Jr. G Malik Miller is 2nd on the team and 12th in the PSAC with 17.2 PPG.
>> He has six 20-point games, hitting the mark in each of the last three games. He scored a career-high 26 points in the win at Gannon and followed that with 25 points vs. UPJ and 21 points at Mercyhurst. 
>> Miller is averaging 19.7 PPG against ranked opponents, including 24 points against Virginia State.