INDIANA, Pa. – Senior guard Malik Miller finished with a career-high 27 points to lead seventh-ranked IUP men's basketball to an 82-71 victory over upset-minded Clarion Saturday night at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
The Crimson Hawks shot 29-of-36 from the foul line and overcame a season-high in turnovers to force Clarion into 20 to win their eighth straight ballgame.
 
IUP is now 17-1 overall and boasts a 12-1 record in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play. The Crimson Hawks lead second place Pitt-Johnstown by two games in the division standings and won the season's first matchup earlier this week.
 
The Golden Eagles (4-15, 3-10 PSAC) hung around the entire first half and outshot IUP 47 percent to 37 percent in the first 20 minutes.
 
The Crimson Hawks trailed three different times until an 8-0 run over a two-minute span late in the half made the score 38-28. Clarion rallied with 10 straight points to tie things up before IUP went into halftime with a 40-38 lead after a pair of Dylan Benton foul shots.
 
Clarion outrebounded IUP 24-12, including nine offensive boards and 12 second chance points.
 
An 7-0 run by the Hawks early in the second half again put their lead back to double-digits at 53-43, as Miller knocked down one of his three 3-pointers on the night. Freshman forward Ethan Porterfield, who played just 15 minutes due to foul trouble, also knocked down one of his two treys early in the half.
 
Clarion eventually cut its deficit to five points before the Crimson Hawks again built a double-digit lead after a 3-pointer by Anthony White at the midway point of the half. The game played back-and-forth the rest of the way as IUP never gained enough momentum to completely pull away.
 
Porterfield played a key role down the stretch with three points, four rebounds and three blocks in the final four minutes alone to keep that comfortable lead for the Crimson Hawks.
 
IUP came back to shoot 44 percent from the field in the second half and made good at the foul line, going 16-of-22. For the game the Hawks went 29-of-36 at the charity stripe, a season-high.
 
The 20 turnovers forced by the Hawks was the most by an opponent since Bethany had 25 on December 25.
 
Who stood out
Miller continued his hot streak with his fourth straight game of 20-plus points. He went 6-of-14 from the field with three 3-pointers. He also converted 12-of-13 from the foul line, a career-best performance. Miller is averaging 23.3 points over the last four games and has increased his season scoring average to 18.1 points.
 
Redshirt sophomore guard Dave Morris scored 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, adding a career-high six steals to go along with five assists.
 
Porterfield finished with nine points, six rebounds, four blocks and two steals in his limited action. During his 15 minutes on the court the Crimson Hawks had a +18 scoring margin.
 
Notes
The Crimson Hawks entered the game ranked No. 7 in the NABC Top 25 and No. 6 in the D2SIDA Media Top 25 polls … IUP has defeated Clarion 18 straight times dating back to the 2010-11 season … This was the fifth straight game – and sixth time in the last eight – that IUP has scored at least 80 points … The Hawks are averaging 88.2 points and have a +18.2 scoring margin in the last five games … IUP now has win streaks of nine and eight games sandwiched around its only loss of the year (Shippensburg).
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks look for their second nine-game win streak of the season when they host Seton Hill (3-13, 2-11 PSAC) Wednesday at the Kovalchick Complex. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m.
 
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.