INDIANA, Pa. – Senior guard Malik Miller scored 28 points and the IUP defense took advantage of early momentum as the ninth-ranked Crimson Hawks soundly defeated Slippery Rock 96-60 Saturday night at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
The blowout victory came in front of a reported attendance of 3,582, a building record for an IUP basketball game.
 
The Crimson Hawks used the energy from the big crowd take control early, using a 15-0 run to take a 21-3 lead after seven minutes of action. Miller led the run with eight points, starting with a trio of foul shots after getting bumped while attempting a 3-pointer.
 
He added two more buckets and a foul shot while Armoni Foster, Dave Morris and Anthony White each scored during the early onslaught.
 
Slippery Rock (11-12, 7-10 PSAC) battled back to cut its deficit to a relatively close 12 points at 29-17 with under 10 minutes left in the first half. That would be as close as SRU could get as the Crimson Hawks responded with a 17-0 run to completely take control of the night.
 
The lead reached as many as 30 points in the first half with IUP shooting 61 percent from the floor while forcing SRU in 17 turnovers. The Hawks took advantage of a hyperactive SRU defense by going 14-of-16 from the foul line.
 
Three players were already in double-figures at the half – Miller with 15 points, while Foster and Ethan Porterfield each had 12 – as the Crimson Hawks scored 56 points, their most in a first half this season.
 
The lead grew in the second half, with IUP using an 11-2 run to go on top by 38 points with 11 minutes left. Porterfield made it a 40-point game on a 3-pointer with six minutes left and Foster gave IUP its biggest lead of the game at 87-46 on a layup-and-one 45 seconds later.
 
IUP finished the game shooting 54.0 percent from the floor, knocking down 11 3-pointers, while going 17-of-20 from the foul line. The Hawks dished out 20 assists on 34 made buckets and forced Slippery Rock into 26 turnovers.
 
After losing the battle of the boards by 19 rebounds in the season's first meeting, the Crimson Hawks outrebounded SRU tonight 35-to-30.   
 
The 96 points scored by the Hawks tonight is the most in the series since IUP scored 99 in a home victory on February 27, 2010.
 
Who stood out
Miller shot 10-of-19 from the field, knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, and went a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line for his 28 points. It was his seventh 20-point outing in the last nine games and his 10th of the season.
 
In the last four games, Miller has the three highest point totals of his career – 32 vs. Seton Hill, 28 vs. Slippery Rock, 27 vs. Clarion.
 
Porterfield tied his season-high with 19 points, hitting 7-of-9 from the field, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Foster added 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
 
Dave Morris stuffed the stat sheet with six points, a career-high nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals.
 
Chucky Humphries returned to action for the first time in three weeks, scoring five points with two steals in 21 minutes.
 
Alumni night
At halftime IUP celebrated its men's basketball legacy as three championship anniversary teams were honored. The 1969-70 team celebrated its golden 50th anniversary, while the 1994-95 team had its silver 25th anniversary and the 2009-10 team had its 10th anniversary.
 
More than 30 former players and coaches were on-hand for the special night.
 
Notes
The Crimson Hawks entered the game ranked No. 9 in the NABC Top 25 and No. 6 in the D2SIDA Media Top 25 polls … This was the 31st straight home victory over Slippery Rock, a streak that dates back to a 79-73 overtime defeat during the 1992-93 season … IUP head coach Joe Lombardi improved to 26-7 lifetime against Slippery Rock, including 16-0 at home … It marks the eighth regular season sweep of SRU in the 14 years of Lombardi's tenure … The Crimson Hawks have a two-game lead over Pitt-Johnstown (19-5, 13-4 PSAC) in the divisional standings with five games left in the regular season.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks hit the road for a key game against playoff-bound Cal U (15-7, 11-5 PSAC) next Wednesday. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
 
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.