INDIANA, Pa. – For the second straight game senior guard Malik Miller had a career night as he scored 32 points to lead the fifth-ranked IUP men's basketball team to a 92-65 win over visiting Seton Hill Wednesday at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
The win was the ninth straight for the Crimson Hawks, who improved to 18-1 on the season and 13-1 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play. IUP also became the first PSAC team to clinch a conference tournament berth.
 
Miller was only one of several standouts for the Hawks, as the crowd of over 3,000 saw redshirt sophomore guard Armoni Foster get close to a triple-double with 21 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.
 
In what has become a trend, the Crimson Hawks put together possibly their finest overall shooting performance of the season. IUP shot a season-best 60.0 percent (33-of-55) from the floor, made 12 3-pointers, and connected on 14-of-16 at the foul line. The 12 threes is the second-highest output this season.
 
Miller and Foster dominated from the start as they each hit on their first four shots from the floor to give IUP a 23-12 lead at the midway point of the first half. The first 10 minutes of the night was highlighted by a 15-4 run that saw IUP hit 6-of-9 shots, including a 3-pointer by Foster.
 
Seton Hill (3-14, 2-12 PSAC) did manage to claw back, outrebounding the Crimson Hawks in the first half to close the gap to five points on three occasions before making it a 3-point game a few minutes before the break.
 
Coming out of the locker room with a 37-33 lead, the Crimson Hawks exploded for 21 points in the first eight minutes of the second half to take a 58-43 lead. Five players scored on the run with Miller getting eight of his points during that span.
 
The IUP lead stayed in double-figures the rest of the way, including a 27-6 run through the middle of the half to give IUP its largest lead at 90-58 with three minutes to play.
 
The Hawks handed out 22 assists their 33 made buckets, the most dimes in a game since the beginning of the month (25). IUP also limited Seton Hill to 35.2 percent shooting, including 5-of-17 from 3-point range.
 
Who stood out
Miller finished the game 13-of-17 from the field, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range. His 32 points marked the fifth straight game Miller has gone for more than 20 points in a game. The reigning PSAC West Athlete of the Week is averaging 25.0 points during that span with a 51.8 field goal percentage. He has nine 20-point games this season.
 
This was Foster's first career double-double as he posted career-highs with his 13 rebounds and seven assists. He finished 6-of-12 from the floor and went 8-of-9 from the foul line. Foster also has nine 20-point games this year.
 
Guard Shawndale Jones and forward Ethan Porterfield also went for double-figures, scoring 12 and 10 points, respectively. Guard Dave Morris scored six points and dished out a game-high eight assists.
 
Notes
The Crimson Hawks entered the game ranked No. 5 in the NABC Top 25 and No. 5 in the D2SIDA Media Top 25 polls … This was IUP's sixth straight game of more than 80 points, averaging 88.8 points with a +19.7 scoring margin during that span … This is the Hawks' second nine-game win streak as they opened the season with nine straight wins before falling to Shippensburg December 21.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks look to reach 10 straight with a road trip to Mercyhurst (11-7, 9-5 PSAC) Saturday. Tipoff in Erie is 3 p.m.
 
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.