MATCHUP
(9/6) IUP Crimson Hawks vs. (-/-) Slippery Rock "The Rock"
Saturday, February 8, 2020 | 7:30 p.m. | Kovalchick Complex, Indiana, Pa.
*Rankings reflect NABC/D2SIDA Top 25 Polls

PREVIEW INFORMATION
IUP (18-2, 13-2 PSAC) | Slippery Rock (11-11, 7-9 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, Feb. 12 at Cal U, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 15 vs. Gannon, 7:30 p.m.

THE GAME AT A GLANCE
No. 9 IUP men's basketball (18-2, 13-2 PSAC) looks to rebound from a tough road loss with a key divisional home matchup against Slippery Rock (11-11, 7-9 PSAC) Saturday night. Tipoff at the Kovalchick Complex is 7:30 p.m. A second half comeback for the Crimson Hawks fell short last weekend as they lost to Mercyhurst in Erie, 68-62. The Rock dropped a two-game skid with a 71-64 victory over Clarion Wednesday. 

TIPOFF NOTES
>> R-So. G Armoni Foster led all IUP scorers with 20 points, including 17 in the second half comeback attempt, in last Saturday's loss. It was his team-leading 10th 20-point game of the season. 
>> IUP committed 9 turnovers in the first 20 minutes to trial 40-23 at the halftime break. 
>> The loss ended IUP's 9-game win streak. The Hawks have won 9 consecutive games twice this season, broken up by just 2 losses. 
>> The Crimson Hawks carry an 11-2 record in games following a loss over the last four years. IUP had a pair of 2-game losing streaks during the 2017-18 season. 
>> IUP rebounded from its first loss of this season with a 93-68 home win over Lock Haven Jan. 3. That game also followed a road loss (Shippensburg, 69-66) and an extended break in the schedule. 
>> The Crimson Hawks are one of 10 teams in Division II with 2 or fewer losses this season. 
>> IUP is looking to sweep its regular season series with Slippery Rock after a 78-74 road win Jan. 8. 
>> IUP was outrebounded 46-27 in the win, but went 18-22 from the foul line and made 10 3-pointers. 
>> The Hawks have swept SRU seven times in the previous 13 seasons under HC Joe Lombardi.
>> Lombardi is 25-7 lifetime against Slippery Rock, including a 15-0 mark at home. 
>> IUP has won 30 straight home games in the Slippery Rock series, a streak that dates back to the 1992-93 season. IUP's last home loss to SRU was a 79-73 overtime defeat in 1992. 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE ROCK 
>> Slippery Rock is 11-11 overall and currently in the final playoff spot in the West with a 7-9 league record.
>> SRU holds a four-game lead over Seton Hill for 6th in the division with six games to play.
>> The Rock is 4-6 in true road games this year, highlighted by a 62-52 victory at Mercyhurst Jan. 22. 
>> The Rock is 5-5 in divisional games with a +1.8 scoring margin. They have two 20-point wins and two 20-point losses. 

IUP IN THE RANKINGS
>> The Crimson Hawks dropped four spots to No. 9 in this week's NABC Top 25 coaches' poll.  
>> It marks the 11th 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 29th 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
>> The Crimson Hawks were the first team in the conference to clinch a PSAC tournament berth after their Jan. 29 win over Seton Hill
>> IUP is one of 10 teams in Division II (as of Feb. 6) with just 2 losses this year. 
>> IUP's nine straight wins to open the season was the fourth best start in the Joe Lombardi era.
>> Lombardi and the Crimson Hawks opened the 2018-19 and 2013-14 seasons with 14 straight wins. 

OFFENSE COULD BE BEST IN LOMBARDI ERA
>> The Crimson Hawks are 2nd in the PSAC and 47th in Division II with an 83.0 scoring average.
>> It's the best mark in Lombardi's 14 seasons.
>> IUP averaged 86.1 PPG during January and recently had a streak of six straight 80-point outings. 
>> IUP is 2nd in the league in FG% (.492) and 3rd in assists (15.5 APG) and made 3s (8.9 PG), and 4th in free throw percentage (.759). 
>> IUP has 13 games of 80+ points, including games of 108 vs. Bethany and 100 vs. UPJ. 
>> R-So. G Armoni Foster and Sr. G Malik Miller are both averaging over 18 points per game. 

DEFENSE IS ROCK SOLID
>> IUP is 2nd in the PSAC and 15th in Division II allowing just 65.9 PPG. 
>> IUP has held opponents under 70 points 13 times, including 11 times in 15 PSAC games. 
>> IUP also leads the conference in defensive FG% (.399), defensive 3FG% (.305), and is 2nd in steals per game (7.7) and blocks per game (4.3). 
>> Fr. F Ethan Porterfield (35) and Sr. F Chucky Humphries (22) rank 2nd and 6th, respectively, in the PSAC in blocks. 
>> Foster is 5th in the league with 35 steals, R-So. G Dave Morris is 10th with 30. 

CLUTCH AT THE FOUL LINE
>> The Crimson Hawks are 4th in the PSAC shooting 75.9 percent from the foul line. 
>> IUP has been hot of late, converting 83.7 percent (82-98) from the charity stripe over the last four games. 
>> The Hawks top three FT shooters during that span have been R-So. G Armoni Foster (.861), Fr. F Ethan Porterfield (.857) and Sr. G Malik Miller (.810). 

MILLER ON A HOT STREAK
>> Despite a rough outing in Erie, Sr. G Malik Miller has still been the PSAC's hottest scorer over the last three weeks aveaging 21.8 PPG in his last six games. 
>> He has 5 20-point performances during that span, including back-to-back career-highs of 27 points vs. Clarion and 32 points vs. Seton Hill. 
>> Miller is currently 17th in IUP history with 1,334 career points and is 24 points away from Garry Lupek's (1966-69) 1,358 points. 
>> Miller is 8th in the PSAC with 18.2 PPG.
>> Miller was named a preseason player of the year candidate by Wayne Cavaldi of NCAA.com.

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 7th in the PSAC at 18.8 PPG.
>> Foster has 10 20-point outings and has scored in double-figures 18 times in 20 games. 
>> Foster is the top shooting guard in the conference, ranking 7th overall with a 50.0 FG% (126-252).
>> 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. 

PORTERFIELD VALUABLE AS FRESHMAN STARTER
>> Fr. F Ethan Porterfield has 13 starts this year, the most by an IUP freshman since Dante Lombardi's 13 during the 2015-16 season.
>> Porterfield scored a season-high 19 points at Shepherd, the most by an IUP freshman since Jacobo Diaz (20 2x) in 2015-16. 
>> Porterfield is 2nd in the PSAC with 35 blocks and leads IUP with a 57.0 FG% and 42.0 3FG%. 
>> He posted his first career double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds at Edinboro. 

MORRIS COMING INTO HIS OWN
>> R-So. G Dave Morris is averaging 12.5 PPG with 30 assists over the last sven games. 
>> The Erie native posted a career-high 19 points in the win at Gannon and had outings of 17 points against Cal U and 16 points at Pitt-Johnstown. 
>> Morris leads the team with 79 assists, including a career-high 10 (with 1 turnover) against Bethany.