SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Junior guard Shawndale Jones scored a career-high 24 points and the IUP defense was smothering all afternoon as the Crimson Hawks defeated Shippensburg 77-59 to win the program's second straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) men's basketball tournament championship Sunday afternoon.
 
It's the 11th all-time PSAC championship for IUP, including the fifth in 14 seasons for head coach Joe Lombardi.
 
Jones was named the PSAC Tournament MVP after his career game against Shippensburg. He shot 10-of-14 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, went 2-of-3 from the foul line and grabbed six rebounds in 35 minutes off the bench.
 
Jones had a huge second half, scoring 16 straight points for the Crimson Hawks from the 12:23 mark to 5:54 left in the game.
 
He finished the three-game tournament averaging 13.3 points per game with a 61.5 field goal percentage.
 
Redshirt sophomore guard Armoni Foster scored 17 points, had seven rebounds and four steals Sunday. He averaged 26.0 points and 6.7 rebounds with a 54.8 field goal percentage, 63.6 3-point field goal percentage, and went 25-of-28 from the foul line during the tournament.
 
With the win the Crimson Hawks clinched an automatic berth in the NCAA Division II Championships. IUP entered the tournament sitting at No. 1 in the Atlantic Region rankings before winning playoff games over Cal U, East Stroudsburg and Shippensburg.
 
The NCAA will announce its complete 2020 field of 64 during their selection show Sunday at 10:30 p.m.
 
The Crimson Hawks head into the NCAA tournament with a 28-2 overall record.
 
You can stream the selection show HERE.

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