INDIANA, Pa. - The No. 6-ranked IUP men's basketball team finished the game on a 20-3 run to end the upset bid as the Crimson Hawks defeated Millersville 81-58 at the Kovalchick Complex on Tuesday night. 

With their lead shrinking to single digits several times in the second half, including just six points with just over seven minutes to play, the Hawks turned up the heat on both ends of the floor to wrap up another win over a regionally-ranked opponent. 

The Crimson Hawks improved to 8-0 overall and 3-0 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Millersville entered the game on a hot streak but the loss drops the Marauders to 6-2 overall and 1-2 in league play.

IUP was playing its first game without senior guard Shawndale Jones, the nation's fifth-leading scorer (25.0 points/game), after he lost his season due to injury. 

How it happened
The Crimson Hawks were hot early, as junior guard Armoni Foster scored 10 points and IUP led 13-3 at the 13:43 mark. After a slow start, Millersville didn't let the game get away, keeping its deficit at no more than 12 and closing the gap to as little as seven the rest of the first half. 

IUP's defense limited the Marauders to just 28.0 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes while forcing eight turnovers. Millersville didn't take advantage of 11 first half IUP fouls, going just 9-of-19 from the foul line. The Crimson Hawks led 37-26 at the break. 

The Hawks looked to take control, grabbing a 54-40 lead at the 11:40 mark of the second half as Foster capped an 8-0 IUP run. Millersville responded with a 10-2 run and later hit a 3-pointer to cut the IUP lead to 61-55 with 7:19 to play. 

IUP then grabbed all the momentum back, as 5th year forward Tommy Demogerontas knocked down a 3-pointer which led to a 9-0 run over a 2:16 span and the Hawks cruised the rest of the way for the 23-point victory.

Who stood out
Foster led all scorers with 27 points, hitting on 8-of-15 from the floor and 10-of-11 from the foul line. He was one of several Hawks facing foul trouble, putting together his point total in just 28 minutes. 

Demogerontas posted his third double-double of the year with 15 points and 12 rebounds, adding seven assists in 30 minutes. Sophomore forward Ethan Porterfield hit a new career-high with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and three blocks in 28 minutes. Junior guard Dave Morris had four steals. 

Notes
IUP entered the game ranked No. 6 in the NABC Coaches and No. 3 in the D2SIDA Media Top 25 polls ... This was IUP's 23rd straight home victory, the second longest streak under head coach Joe Lombardi (30 straight, 2009-09 to 2010-11 seasons) ... The 81 points marks IUP's lowest scoring output of the season as the Hawks entered the game averaging 95.3 points ... Millersville's 17 made field goals is the lowest by an IUP opponent this year ... The 45 combined fouls between both teams is also a new season-high ... Foster is averaging 25.0 points and shooting 53.9 percent (34-of-63) over his last four games ... Freshman guard Kyle Polce got the start for the injured Jones ... Freshman guard Dallis Dillard, originally slated to redshirt, played in 21 minutes off the bench, scoring five points with two assists.

Up next
The Crimson Hawks will host Shepherd (5-4, 1-2 PSAC) and Shippensburg (5-3, 2-1 PSAC) this Saturday and Sunday at the Kovalchick Complex. Tipoff times are 3 p.m. 

Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.