INDIANA, Pa. – Fresh off a 2-0 start to open the season, the third-ranked IUP men's basketball team begins the home portion of the schedule on Wednesday night, hosting Bowie State. Tipoff at the Kovalchick Complex is set for shortly after 7:30 p.m.
The Hawks picked up a pair of wins at the Clarion Tipoff Classic against Concord and Winston-Salem State. IUP will recognize its 2021-22 Final Four team with a pregame ceremony on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, Bowie State posted a 1-1 mark in its season-opening tournament last weekend. The Bulldogs have posted an average of 97.0 points through two games, partially skewed by a 110-100 overtime loss to East Stroudsburg on November 12.
HOME OPENER INFORMATION
- Final Four Celebration
- Pregame reception – start time at approximately 7:22 p.m.
- Free T-Shirts – first 300 students
GAME INFORMATION – BOWIE STATE
IUP IN THE RANKINGS
- NABC – No. 3 (Preseason)
- D2SIDA – No. 2 (Week One)
- D2SIDA Atlantic Region Rankings – No. 1 (Week One)
IUP NEWS AND NOTES
- The Crimson Hawks have played Bowie State eight times since the 2010-11 season, winning four consecutive and six of the last seven matchups.
- IUP turned up the intensity in the second half against Concord to secure a 77-60 win against Concord. The Crimson Hawks followed it up with another 17-point victory, coming against Winston-Salem State.
- Shawndale Jones led IUP with 21 and 20 points over the weekend, one of three players averaging double-figure scoring through the initial two outings. Dave Morris handed out seven assists over the weekend and Ethan Porterfield found his shooting touch against Winston-Salem.
- Jones poured in 37 points for IUP in a 90-83 victory last November at Bowie State, recording 29 of those points in the second half.
- Porterfield continues closing in on 1,000 career points, entering the week just 22 points shy. That career total includes the three contests played during the 2020-21 season.
- Though early, IUP is continuing its trend of smothering defense. Surrendering an average of 55 points per game, IUP enters the week ranked seventh in NCAA DII in that category. The Crimson Hawks ranked among the top 10 nationally in DII in scoring defense during both the 2021-22 (62.1) and 2019-20 (65.3) seasons.
- IUP has won 39 of its last 40 home games, dating back to the beginning of 2019-20. Overall, IUP is 219-36 (.858) under head coach Joe Lombardi.
- The Crimson Hawks jumped one spot in the D2SIDSA rankings released Tuesday night, rising to second nationally.
- Tomiwa Sulaiman made his presence felt on both ends of the court, logging 9.5 points and 5.0 rebounds to go along with six assists, three steals and three blocks. Damir Brooks nabbed nine rebounds with a pair of blocks in his first collegiate action.
SCOUTING BOWIE STATE
- 2022-23 Overview | Overall: 1-1 | CIAA: 0-0 | Home: 1-1 | Away: 0-0 | Neutral: 0-0
- Wednesday marks the first road game of the season for Bowie State. The Bulldogs are paced by a pair of players averaging 17.0 points/game in Kyree Freeman-Davis and Warren Mouganda.
- Bowie State posted a 76-72 win against IUP back in November 2015 at the KCAC, the team's last victory against the Hawks in the series.
- Freeman-Davis and Mouganda were two of four Bulldogs who scored in double figures in the win against Frostburg State while against East Stroudsburg, Bowie State had six players in double-digit scoring, led by Mouganda with 19.
FOLLOW
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP men's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.
