CLARION, Pa. – Four Crimson Hawks reached double-figures in scoring as the fourth-ranked IUP men's basketball team defeated Clarion 89-53 on the road Saturday for its fourth straight win of the year.
 
With the win the Crimson Hawks improved to 18-1 overall and remained in a tie for the top spot in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division standings with an 11-1 league record.
 
Senior guard Dante Lombardi led IUP in scoring with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting, knocking down five of the Crimson Hawks' season-best 15 3-pointers.
 
Senior forwards Jacobo Diaz and Willem Brandwijk each tallied double-doubles while Malik Miller added 10 points. Diaz finished with 16 points and 10 boards while Brandwijk had 11 points and 12 rebounds.
 
It was a relatively slow start for IUP, leading 16-11 after eight minutes of play. A 3-pointer by sophomore guard Anthony White jumpstarted a 19-4 run for the Crimson Hawks who built a 35-15 lead less than six minutes later.
 
IUP hit five 3-pointers by five different players during the run, capped by one of three triples on the day by Diaz.
 
The lead remained 20 at halftime with IUP on top 44-24 going into the locker room.
 
The Crimson Hawks kept their big lead in the second half, using a 17-6 run to take a 33-point lead at 82-49 with four minutes to play. They turned on cruise control for the final few minutes for their third straight blowout victory.
 
IUP shot 48 percent for the game, including 15-of-30 from 3-point range, and converted 12-of-13 from the foul line.
 
Notes
The Crimson Hawks are No. 4 in the NABC and No. 3 in the D2SIDA Media Top 25 polls … IUP head coach Joe Lombardi improved to 293-98 with the win … It was the 11th 80-point performance for the Crimson Hawks, including their fourth straight … They are averaging 92.5 points over those last four games … IUP has made 49 3-pointers and is shooting 77.6 percent from the free throw line during that span … The 36-point win is the second highest of the season … It was the fifth straight double-double for Diaz, who has 12 on the year and 41 in his career … Diaz has 987 career rebounds … Lombardi had two assists, increasing his career total to 504 … He's now just eight assists shy of tying Devante Chance (2011-15) for first in IUP history.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks are back on the road Wednesday with a game in Greensburg against Seton Hill. The Griffins are 5-13 overall and seventh in the PSAC West standings with a 3-9 league record. They lost to Pitt-Johnstown 85-70 Saturday. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.