MATCHUP
(7/6) IUP Crimson Hawks at (-/-) Edinboro Fighting Scots
Wednesday, January 15, 2020 | 7:30 p.m. | McComb Fieldhouse, Edinboro, Pa.
*Rankings reflect NABC/D2SIDA Top 25 Polls

PREVIEW INFORMATION
IUP (13-1, 8-1 PSAC) | Edinboro (5-8, 2-7 PSAC)

FOLLOW
Watch: GoFightingScots.com (StretchInternet) | Live Stats: GoFightingScots.com (StretchInternet) | | Listen: WQMU 92.5, U92 Sports App | Twitter Updates: @IUP_MBB

COMING UP
Saturday, Jan. 18 vs. Cal U, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 22 at Pitt-Johnstown, 7:30 p.m.

THE GAME AT A GLANCE
No. 7 IUP men's basketball (13-1, 8-1 PSAC) wraps up its three-game road swing Wednesday with a trip to Edinboro (5-8, 2-7 PSAC). Tipoff at the McComb Fieldhouse is 7:30 p.m. The Crimson Hawks' win streak stretched to four straight in the new year with an 85-64 victory over Gannon in Erie Saturday night. Meanwhile, the Fighting Scots are suffering through a four-game losing skid and are coming off a 108-71 loss at Cal U last weekend. 

TIPOFF NOTES
>> The sophomore guard duo of Armoni Foster and Dave Morris combined for 43 points in Saturday's win in Erie. IUP turned a 3-point halftime lead into a blowout by shooting over 70 percent in the second half.
>> Foster scored 24 points on 8-10 from the field to post his seventh 20-point game of the season. It was the 10th time this year he's led the Crimson Hawks in scoring. 
>> It was a homecoming for Morris, who played high school ball at Strong Vincent in Erie. He scored a career-high 19 points, including 17 on 7-7 shooting in the second half. 
>> It was also the 10 double-digit win by IUP, including its third in the last three games (+16.3). 
>> The Crimson Hawks are one of nine teams in Division II with 1 or fewer losses. 
>> HC Joe Lombardi is 21-8 lifetime against Edinboro, including 21 wins in the last 23 meetings. He's won nine of his last 10 trips to the McComb Fieldhouse, including last year's 87-59 division-clinching victory in February. 
>> IUP won 13 straight games in the series between 2009 and 2014. 
>> The Crimson Hawks are 5-1 on the road this year and 37-5 (.881) away from home over the last four seasons. 
>> IUP is 9-1 in PSAC West road games since last year, including eight straight wins. 
>> Through 14 games this is the most productive offense in the Lombardi era, ranking 4th the PSAC in scoring at 82.1 PPG and 3rd with a 48.9 FG%. IUP has scored 80+ points eight times in 14 games. 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE FIGHTING SCOTS
>> Edinboro is 5-8 overall and 7th in the PSAC West standings with a 2-7 conference record.
>> The Fighting Scots have dropped four straight games and eight of their last nine heading into the week. 
>> Six of Edinboro's last eight losses have come by double-digits. EU has a -18.2 scoring margin in the last nine.
>> The Fighting Scots are 2-4 at home, their last win at McComb coming Nov. 23 against Shepherd (73-72). 
>> EU does feature Anthony Coleman, who is 7th in the PSAC at 18.8 PPG and 9th with a 41.8 3FG%. 

IUP IN THE RANKINGS
>> The Crimson Hawks moved up two spots to No. 7 in this week's NABC Top 25. 
>> It marks the eighth straight week the Crimson Hawks appear in the top 10 of the coaches' poll after opening the preseason at No. 11. 
>> It's also the 26th straight poll release that the Crimson Hawks have been in the top 25. 
>> IUP reached as high as No. 3 in the poll (Dec. 17). 

IUP OFF TO ANOTHER STRONG START
>> IUP is one of nine teams in Division II (as of Jan. 12) with just 1 or fewer losses this year. 
>> IUP's nine straight wins to open the season was the fourth best start in the Joe Lombardi era.
>> IUP's best start under Lombardi was 14-0 to open the 2017-18 and 2013-14 seasons.
>> The Crimson Hawks lead the PSAC and rank 12th in Division II with a +17.9 scoring margin. 
>> 10 wins have come by more than 11 points with six 20+ point blowouts. 

IUP OFFENSE HAS SET GOOD EARLY SEASON PACE
>> The Crimson Hawks are 4th in the PSAC scoring 82.1 PPG through 14 games. 
>> IUP is also 3rd in the PSAC with a 48.9 FG%. 
>> They have eight games of 80+ points, posting a Lombardi-era high 108 in the win over Bethany.
>> IUP's 82.1 average is currently the highest in the 14 seasons under Lombardi and ahead of last year's pace (81.2) through 14 contests.
>> IUP players have a combined 13 20-point games, with R-So. Armoni Foster leading the team with seven. 
>> IUP is 9-0 when a player scores 20 points. 

DEFENSE IS ROCK SOLID
>> IUP leads the PSAC and ranks 9th in Division II allowing just 64.2 PPG.
>> IUP has held opponents under 70 points nine times, including seven times in nine PSAC games. 
>> IUP also leads the conference in defensive FG% (.395), defensive 3FG% (.294) and is 2nd in steals/game (7.9).
>> IUP is 4th in turnovers forced at 15.6 per game.
>> Foster is tied for 2nd in the league with 27 steals.
>> Sr. F Chucky Humphries (20) and Fr. F Ethan Porterfield (18) rank 2nd and 6th, respectively, in the PSAC in total blocks. 

WINNING THE BATTLE ON THE GLASS
>> The Crimson Hawks are 3rd in the PSAC and 37th in Division II with a +6.3 rebounding margin.
>> They've been on the plus side of the rebounding margin 11 times in 14 games this year, including a +15 difference against Mercyhurst.
>> IUP is coming off its worst rebounding performance of the year with SRU owning a +19 margin Wednesday.

FOSTER HAS BEEN HUGE AS FIRST-YEAR STARTER
>> R-So. G Armoni Foster is IUP's top scorer, ranking 8th in the PSAC with 18.6 PPG. 
>> He's led IUP in scoring 10 times, including each of the last eight, and has seven 20-point games.
>> Foster is the top shooting guards in the conference, ranking 7th overall with a 53.1 FG% (95-179).
>> He averaged 23.5 PPG and 6.0 RPG and shot 60 percent in wins over Slippery Rock and Gannon.
>> He scored a career-high 28 points in the comeback win at Le Moyne, shooting 13-20, and scored 22 of his points in the second half. 

MILLER REACHES 100-GAME AND 1000-POINT MARKS
>> Sr. G Malik Miller became the 34th player in program history to reach 1000 career points when he hit the milestone in the win at Le Moyne (Nov. 15)
>> He became the ninth player in the Lombardi era to reach 100 career games at Shippensburg (Dec. 21). 
>> Miller has 1203 points and an 11.6 career average.
>> He has four 20-point games including a season-high 23 at Slippery Rock. 
>> Miller was named a preseason player of the year candidate by Wayne Cavaldi of NCAA.com.

PORTERFIELD VALUABLE AS FRESHMAN STARTER
>> Fr. F Ethan Porterfield looks to be a mainstay in the lineup, starting each of the last seven games. 
>> It's the most starts by an IUP freshman since Dante Lombardi had 13 in 2015-16. 
>> He's averaging 12.0 PPG and 6.2 RPG in his seven starts with 10 blocks and a 56.1 FG% (32-57). 
>> He scored a season-high 19 points at Shepherd and scored 18 points against Lock Haven.
>> The 19 points is the most by an IUP freshman since Jacobo Diaz in 2015-16. 

MORRIS COMING OFF HUGE NIGHT
>> R-So. Dave Morris scored a career-high 19 points at Gannon, his hometown team. 
>> He shot 5-7 including 4 3-pointers and went 5-6 from the foul line. 
>> Morris scored 17 points in the second half alone, helping lead an offensive outbreak (52) as IUP stretched its lead from 3 to 21 points.