MATCHUP
(5/4) IUP Crimson Hawks vs. (-/-) Seton Hill Griffins
Wednesday, January 29, 2020 | 7:30 p.m. | Kovalchick Complex, Indiana, Pa.
*Rankings reflect NABC/D2SIDA Top 25 Polls

PREVIEW INFORMATION
IUP (17-1, 12-1 PSAC) | Seton Hill (3-13, 2-11 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
Saturday, Feb. 1 at Mercyhurst, 3 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 8 vs. Slippery Rock, 7:30 p.m.

THE GAME AT A GLANCE
No. 5 IUP men's basketball (17-1, 12-1 PSAC) looks to stay perfect for the month of January when they host Seton Hill (3-13, 2-11 PSAC) Wednesday night. Tipoff at the Kovalchick Complex is 7:30 p.m. The Crimson Hawks are coming off an 82-71 win Saturday, outlasting an upset-minded Clarion team in the second half. The Griffins fell at home to Pitt-Johnstown 86-66 over the weekend, their fifth loss in the last six games. 

TIPOFF NOTES
>> Sr. G Malik Miller scored a career-high 27 points to lead the Crimson Hawks past Clarion Saturday night. He scored 16 of those in the second half and went 12-13 from the foul line for the game.
>> As a team IUP shot 29-36 from the foul line, overcoming a relatively poor (40.0 percent) shooting performance with 17 turnovers and a -11 rebounding maring. 
>> Miller earned PSAC West Athlete of the Week honors Monday after averaging 24.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 4.5 APG in wins over Pitt-Johnstown and Clarion last week. 
>> Miller is averaging 23.3 PPG over his last four games, including three straight 22-point performances. He and R-So. G Armoni Foster each have eight 20-point games this season.
>> The Crimson Hawks are averaging 85.4 PPG during their eight-game January win streak. They have six double-figure victories and a scoring margin of +16.9. 
>> The Crimson Hawks are one of five teams in Division II with just 1 loss. 
>> HC Joe Lombardi is 15-1 lifetime against Seton Hill, including a 9-0 record at home. IUP has won six straight in the series, its lone loss coming in Greensburg (91-83) at the end of the 2015-16 regular season. 
>> The Hawks are 29-2 at home since the start of last year, including a 10-0 mark this year. IUP has a +22.5 scoring margin in those 10 wins, including five by more than 20 points.
>> The Crimson Hawks are 50-3 (.943) in January over the last six seasons, including a 24-1 mark at home. 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE GRIFFINS
>> Seton Hill is 3-13 overall and in a tie for last place in the PSAC West standings with a 2-11 league record. 
>> The Griffins have a 2-7 record away from home, with just one win over a PSAC opponent (Edinboro). 
>> They are just 1-5 in their last six games with a -12.8 scoring margin. 
>> Seton Hill's only win during that span was an 86-75 victory at Edinboro last Wednesday. 
>> The Griffins are 17th in the PSAC with 67.7 PPG. 

IUP IN THE RANKINGS
>> The Crimson Hawks moved up two spots to No. 5 in the latest NABC Top 25 coaches' poll.  
>> It marks the 10th 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 28th 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 five teams in Division II (as of Jan. 27) with just 1 loss this year. 
>> IUP's nine straight wins to open the season was the fourth best start in the Joe Lombardi era.
>> This is IUP's third 17-1 start in the HC Joe Lombardi era, including the 2018-19 and 2009-10 seasons. 
>> 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 2nd in the PSAC scoring 83.7 PPG through 18 games. 
>> IUP is also 2nd in the PSAC with a 48.9 FG% and 10th in Division II with a +17.8 scoring margin. 
>> They have 12 games of 80+ points, posting a Lombardi-era high 108 in the win over Bethany.
>> IUP's 83.7 average is currently the highest in the 14 seasons under Lombardi and ahead of last year's 17-game pace (82.5).
>> IUP players have a combined 18 20-point games, with R-So. Armoni Foster and Sr. G Malik Miller each tallying eight on the year. 
>> IUP is 13-0 when a player scores 20 points. 

DEFENSE IS ROCK SOLID
>> IUP leads the PSAC and ranks 15th in Division II allowing just 65.8 PPG.
>> IUP has held opponents under 70 points 11 times, including nine times in 13 PSAC games. 
>> IUP also leads the conference in defensive FG% (.399), defensive 3FG% (.299), and is 2nd in steals per game (8.1) and blocks per game (4.3). 
>> Fr. F Ethan Porterfield (31) and Sr. F Chucky Humphries (22) rank 2nd and 6th, respectively, in the PSAC in total blocks. 

WINNING THE BATTLE ON THE GLASS
>> The Crimson Hawks are 4th in the PSAC and 40th in Division II with a +5.5 rebounding margin.
>> They've been on the plus side of the rebounding margin 14 times in 18 games this year, but have games of -11 against Clarion and -19 at Slippery Rock in the last two weeks. 
>> Seton Hill is 9th out of 18 conference teams in the PSAC with a +0.4 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.
>> He is teid for 10th in the PSAC at 18.1 PPG.
>> Foster has eight 20-point games and has scored in double-figures 16 times in 18 games. 
>> Foster is the top shooting guard in the conference, ranking 7th overall with a 50.2 FG% (114-227).
>> 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 NAMED PSAC WEST ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
>> Sr. G Malik Miller earned his first career PSAC West Athlete of the Week honor Monday. He averaged 24.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 4.5 APG in wins over UPJ and Clarion.
>> Miller has four straight 20-point games, including a career-high 27 points against Clarion and three consecutive 22-point outings.
>> He reached 1000 career points Nov. 15 at Le Moyne and played in his 100th career game Dec. 21 at Shippensburg. 
>> Miller has 1296 career points and a 12.0 average. 
>> 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 11 games, the most by an IUP freshman since Dante Lombardi (13) in 2015-16. 
>> He scored 17 points with 3 blocks in the comeback win over Cal U and had his first career double-double (14, 12) in the win at Edinboro.
>> Porterfield is averaging 12.0 PPG and 6.1 RPG with 21 blocks and a 62.9 FG% (39-62) in his last eight games.
>> He scored a season-high 19 points at Shepherd, the most by an IUP freshman since Jacobo Diaz in 2015-16. 

MORRIS COMING INTO HIS OWN
>> R-So. G Dave Morris is averaging 14.2 PPG with a 55.8 3FG% (19-34) over the last four games. 
>> He's put together big second halves in close games, scoring 17 points against Gannon and 15 points in the comeback win over Cal U. 
>> He leads the team with 69 assists and ranks 3rd with 9.8 PPG.