MATCHUP
(7/6) IUP Crimson Hawks vs. (-/-) Cal U Vulcans
Saturday, January 18, 2020 | 7:30 p.m. | Kovalchick Complex, Indiana, Pa.
*Rankings reflect NABC/D2SIDA Top 25 Polls

PREVIEW INFORMATION
IUP (14-1, 9-1 PSAC) | Cal U (11-5, 7-3 PSAC)

FOLLOW
Watch: IUP-TV Sports (Stretch Internet) | Live Stats: IUPstats.com (StatBroadcast) | Listen: WQMU 92.5, U92 Sports App | Twitter Updates: @IUP_MBB

COMING UP
Wednesday, Jan. 22 at Pitt-Johnstown, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 25 vs. Clarion, 7:30 p.m.

THE GAME AT A GLANCE
No. 7 IUP men's basketball (14-1, 9-1 PSAC) returns home for time in nearly two weeks when they host Cal U (11-5, 7-3 PSAC) Saturday night at the Kovalchick Complex. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. The Crimson Hawks enter on a hot streak, having won five straight games after Wednesday's 88-53 victory at Edinboro. The Vulcans are also streaking with their 88-74 win at Seton Hill Wednesday the team's fourth straight. 

TIPOFF NOTES
>> Sr. G Malik Miller scored 17 points in the first half alone as the Crimson Hawks shot 50 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes. IUP made seven 3-pointers and turned it over just three times in the second half. 
>> Miller finished with 22 points for his fifth 20-point game of the season. 
>> Fr. F Ethan Porterfield posted his first career double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. 
>> At 35 points the win margin was the second largest of the season for the Crimson Hawks. It was the fourth time on their five-game win streak they've posted a double-digit win (+20.0). 
>> The Crimson Hawks are one of eight teams in Division II with 1 or fewer losses. 
>> HC Joe Lombardi is 22-6 lifetime against Cal U with 14 of those wins coming in the last 17 meetings. He's won five straight home games against Cal U, the last loss coming during the 2013-14 season (59-56). 
>> The Crimson Hawks are 27-2 at home since the start of last year, including an 8-0 mark this year. IUP has a +24.6 scoring margin in those eight wins, including five by more than 20 points.
>> The Crimson Hawks are 47-3 (.940) in January over the last six seasons, including a 22-1 mark at home. 
>> Through 15 games this is the most productive offense in the Lombardi era, ranking 3rd the PSAC in scoring at 82.5 PPG and a 48.9 FG%. IUP has scored 80+ points nine times, including five against PSAC opponents. 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE VULCANS
>> Cal U is 11-5 overall and tied for 3rd in the PSAC West standings with a 7-3 conference record. 
>> The Vulcans enter the weekend on a four-game win streak which includes road wins over Slippery Rock (94-93) and Seton Hill (88-74). 
>> They've played one other ranked opponent this year, falling to No. 14 West Chester 82-81 on Dec. 20. 
>> Cal U is the 2nd highest scoring team in the PSAC at 83.6 PPG with a big focus on the three at 10.1 3FGs made per game. 
>> Jr. Brent Pegram is a career 1,000 point scorer who ranks 2nd in the PSAC in scoring at 20.7 PPG. 

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 eight teams in Division II (as of Jan. 15) 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 has started the season 14-1 or 13-2 nine times in the last 12 years under HC Joe Lombardi. 
>> Lombardi and the Crimson Hawks opened the 2018-19 and 2013-14 seasons with 14 straight wins. 

IUP OFFENSE HAS SET GOOD EARLY SEASON PACE
>> The Crimson Hawks are 3rd in the PSAC scoring 82.5 PPG through 15 games. 
>> IUP is also 3rd in the PSAC with a 48.9 FG% and 11th in Division II with a +19.0 scoring margin. 
>> They have nine games of 80+ points, posting a Lombardi-era high 108 in the win over Bethany.
>> IUP's 82.5 average is currently the highest in the 14 seasons under Lombardi and ahead of last year's 15-game pace (80.4).
>> IUP players have a combined 14 20-point games, with R-So. Armoni Foster leading the team with seven. 
>> IUP is 10-0 when a player scores 20 points. 

DEFENSE IS ROCK SOLID
>> IUP leads the PSAC and ranks 7th in Division II allowing just 63.5 PPG.
>> IUP has held opponents under 70 points 10 times, including eight times in 10 PSAC games. 
>> IUP also leads the conference in defensive FG% (.386), defensive 3FG% (.281) and is 3rd in steals/game (7.8).
>> IUP is 4th in turnovers forced at 15.5 per game.
>> Sr. F Chucky Humphries (21) and Fr. F Ethan Porterfield (20) rank 3rd and 4th, respectively, in the PSAC in total blocks. 

WINNING THE BATTLE ON THE GLASS
>> The Crimson Hawks are 3rd in the PSAC and 27th in Division II with a +6.9 rebounding margin.
>> They've been on the plus side of the rebounding margin 12 times in 15 games this year, including a +16 difference Wednesday against Edinboro. 
>> Cal is 15th in the PSAC with a -2.0 rebounding margin.

FOSTER HAS BEEN HUGE AS FIRST-YEAR STARTER
>> R-So. G Armoni Foster was named to the top-100 watch list for the Bevo Francis Award, which annually goes to the top small college player in the nation.
>> Foster is IUP's top scorer, ranking 9th in the PSAC with 18.3 PPG. He has seven 20-point games. 
>> Foster is the top shooting guard in the conference, ranking 9th overall with a 52.4 FG% (99-189).
>> 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 1225 points and an 11.7 career average.
>> He has five 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 has started each of the last 8 games, the most by an IUP freshman since Dante Lombardi (13) in 2015-16. 
>> He's coming off his first career double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds in 25 minutes at Edinboro.  
>> He's averaging 12.3 PPG and 6.9 RPG in his eight starts with 12 blocks and a 56.7 FG% (38-67). 
>> 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 INTO HIS OWN
>> R-So. Dave Morris scored a career-high 19 points at Gannon, his hometown team, with 17 in the second half.
>> He shot 5-7 including 4 3-pointers and went 5-6 from the foul line. 
>> Morris followed that with 9 points on 4-7 shooting with 6 assists in the win at Edinboro. 
>> He leads the team with 56 assists and ranks 5th with 8.8 PPG.