JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - In an early battle for the top spot in the division, the No. 6-ranked IUP men's basketball team was edge by Pitt-Johnstown 70-68 on the road Monday night at UPJ's Sports Center. 

The Crimson Hawks had the ball for the final 49 seconds but missed three chances to either tie or take the lead as their second half comeback fell short. 

Junior guard Dave Morris scored 21 points and knocked five of IUP's 10 three-pointers on the night. It was the Hawks second loss of the season, and their first one the road, as they fall to 15-2 overall and 8-2 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play. UPJ improved to 14-3 overall and 10-1 in the conference. 

How it happened
The Crimson Hawks did not shoot well early but took advantage of UPJ turnovers to keep the game even. Morris his three of his five 3-pointers in the first half, knocking down his first to give IUP a 13-11 lead less than six minutes into the night. 

UPJ later took control, scoring eight straight points to go up 23-15 and later followed with a 10-0 run to go on top by 14 points with under six to play before the break. Morris hit two more treys and scored IUP's final seven points of the half as the Hawks trailed 41-33 at half. 

IUP shot just 40 percent (13-of-32) in the opening half compared to UPJ's 51 percent (16-of-31). 

Both teams came out hot in the second half as IUP narrowed the gap to three at 51-48 on a 3-pointer by freshman guard Dallis Dillard at the 13:26 mark. Less than a minute later Morris tied things up with his fifth trey of the night. 

Junior guard Armoni Foster gave the Hawks their first second half lead at 54-53 with a 3-pointer with 11:59 to play. The teams traded jabs as IUP went back on top 64-63 on Dillard triple with five minutes left. 

The Mountain Cats responded with three straight buckets to go on top by six at 70-64 before a Morris layup made it a four point game with 1:36 to play. After a Foster layup with 50 seconds left, IUP got the ball back on a steal by freshman forward Tomiwa Sulaiman, but missed two 3-pointers and a layup in the final seconds as UPJ came away with the upset win.

Who stood out
This was Morris' third 20-point game of the season and was just one point shy of tying his career-high of 22. He went 7-of-12 from the field, 5-of-10 from 3-point range, and 2-of-2 at the foul line. He also had six boards and three assists in 37 minutes.

Foster nearly notched his sixth double-double of the year with 14 points and nine assists to go along with three steals in 40 minutes. 5th year forward Tommy Demogerontas made his return to the lineup, scoring 11 points with six rebounds. 

Notes
IUP entered the game ranked No. 6 in the NABC Coaches and No. 4 in the D2SIDA Media Top 25 polls ... This was IUP's second loss to UPJ since the Mountain Cats joined the PSAC in 2013 ... IUP head coach Joe Lombardi is now 17-4 lifetime against UPJ, 16-2 since 2013 ... IUP's five free throw attempts is its lowest total of the season ... IUP is 56-4 in January over the last six seasons, including 31-3 on the road ... This was IUP's seventh game of 10+ three-pointers.

Up next
IUP will play at home for the first time in the 2022 calendar year when the Hawks host Edinboro Wednesday at the Kovalchick Complex. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m.

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