SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Senior guard Malik Miller reached 1,000 points for his career and was one of several individual highlights as 11th-ranked IUP men's basketball outlasted Le Moyne 82-78 Friday night at Ted Grant Court.
 
Miller got his milestone bucket less than three minutes into the game with a jumper to give IUP a 7-4 lead and put him squarely on 1,000 for his career. He became the 34th player in program history to reach 1,000 points and the 11th during the head coach Joe Lombardi era.
 
Senior forward Tommy Demogerontas posted his second straight double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds while sophomore guard Armoni Foster scored a career-high 28 points to help the Crimson Hawks improve to 3-0 to start the season.
 
That trio helped IUP shoot over 56 percent from the floor and outrebound Le Moyne by 10, overcoming 17 team turnovers on the night.
 
Foster scored 22 of his game-high 28 in the second half as the Crimson Hawks rallied from five down at the break to outscore Le Moyne 41-32 in the final 20 minutes.
 
Trailing 46-41, Foster opened the half with back-to-back scores and minutes later his three straight buckets, including a 3-pointer, to help the Crimson Hawks score 17 straight points and take a 58-46 lead at the 15:21 mark of the half.
 
Le Moyne (1-2) got back into the game with a 10-1 run and then later with a 13-2 run to take a 71-70 lead with seven minutes to play in the game. IUP came back with four straight buckets and a pair of free throws, as Foster and sophomore guard Dave Morris combined for 10 points to put the Hawks on top 80-71 with just under three to play.
 
The Dolphins closed the gap to two with 38 seconds to play but foul shots by Miller with 11 seconds left iced the game for the Crimson Hawks.
 
IUP shot nearly 67 percent in the second half alone with Foster connecting on 10-of-13. Demogerontas finished 9-of-16 from the floor with three 3-pointers and Morris dished out four assists with just one turnover.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks are off until next weekend when they open conference play against a pair of PSAC East teams in Bloomsburg (0-2) and East Stroudsburg (1-1). Both games will tipoff at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, respectively, at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
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