INDIANA, Pa. – One of just 12 remaining unbeaten teams in NCAA DII, the second-ranked IUP men's basketball program is back home for a pair of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossovers against Kutztown (December 18) and West Chester (December 19) from the KCAC. Tipoff is slated for 4:00 p.m. against Kutztown and 7:30 p.m. against West Chester.
IUP (8-0, 2-0) racked up a season high 99 points with a limited lineup last time out against Penn State Altoona on December 11. The victory extended the Hawks regular season winning streak to 19 games, dating back to the 2021-22 season.
Kutztown (2-5, 2-0) is returning to the floor for the first time since December 3, holding off Clarion for a 76-64 home victory. Meanwhile, West Chester (6-2, 1-1) brings a two-game winning streak into its return to action, facing Pitt-Johnstown on December 18 before visiting Indiana.
GAME INFORMATION – KUTZTOWN
- Game Nine: IUP (8-0, 2-0) vs. Kutztown (2-5, 2-0)
- When: Sunday, December 18 – 4:00 p.m.
- Where: KCAC – Indiana, Pa.
- Social Media Updates: Twitter (@IUP_MBB)
- Live Video: PSAC Digital Network (IUP-TV Sports)
- Live Audio: U92.5 FM (U92 Sports Channel)
- Live Stats: StatBroadcast
- Season Stats: IUP | Kutztown
GAME INFORMATION – WEST CHESTER
TIPOFF NOTES
- IUP is one of 12 teams nationally and two in the PSAC (East Stroudsburg) with an unbeaten record in 2022-23. The Hawks have won 19 consecutive regular season contests, dating back to 2021-22.
- The Hawks have a pair of veteran players closing in on 1,000 career points. Dave Morris is just seven points shy of 1,000 for her career (125 points at Tennessee State, 868 at IUP), while Shawndale Jones is 40 points away from the 1,000-point mark (336 at NJIT, 624 at IUP).
- Morris guided a shorthanded IUP lineup to a 99-54 blowout win against Penn State Altoona on December 11. Morris was named PSAC West Athlete of the Week following his career performance, finishing with 31 points (6-11 3FG), four rebounds, four assists and two steals in 37 minutes.
- IUP leads NCAA DII in scoring defense (56.1) and field goal percentage defense (34.5). Overall, IUP has held seven of eight opponents to under 60 points this season, winning their last three games by an average margin of 33 points.
- Jones (rest) and Ethan Porterfield (illness) were held out of the Penn State Altoona game, allowing Damir Brooks and KJ Rhodes a chance to step into the staring lineup for the Hawks. Brooks posted a career-high 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 15 minutes against the Lions.
- Joe Lombardi is 9-4 against Kutztown with four straight wins, going 11-5 against West Chester.
- Jones leads the PSAC and ranks 19th in Division II with 21.0 PPG.
- IUP shot 59.6% (34-57) from the floor against Penn State Altoona, its highest shooting percentage since February 2020 against Seton Hill (61.1%). Tomiwa Sulaiman (5-6 FG, 10-12 FT) was a big part of the offensive efficiency for the Hawks, notching his first 20-point outing of the season against PSA.
SCOUTING KUTZTOWN
- Kutztown has been idle since December 3, but notched a pair of conference wins against Gannon and Clarion for its lone two victories of the season.
- Robert Tucker (16.6 PPG, 11.1 RPG) leads the PSAC with five double-doubles this season, ranking fourth in DII. Tucker notched an impressive outing with 23 points (9-13 FG) and 13 rebounds against Lincoln in November.
- Wesley Butler leads the team in scoring (19.0), good for third in the PSAC. Kyree Generett (11.2) and Josh Samec (10.0) are also in double figures for the Bears.
- Kutztown is allowing nearly 80 points per contest with opponents shooting nearly 45% from the field.
- Bernie Driscoll is closing in on 350 career wins at Kutztown, posting a mark of 341-263 (.565) in his 22nd season.
SCOUTING WEST CHESTER
- Robert Smith dropped in a season-high 23 points in helping West Chester to a victory against Holy Family in the nonconference finale. Kyle McGee added 18 points with Eli Barrett posting 16 for the Golden Rams.
- McGee leads the PSAC with 32 assists and has converted 45.7% (21-46) of his three-point field goals this season. He presents a potent one-two scoring touch with Smith, who leads the team at 18.0 points/game.
- The Rams are near the top in the league in several statistical categories, ranking second in rebounds/game (41.12) and offensive rebounds/game (13.50).
- Eli Barrett (9.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG) is another key contributor in the low block, posting 19 assists and seven blocks. He has logged 16 points in each of the last two games, pulling down a combined 21 rebounds with four steals.
- Damien Blair has guided West Chester to four NCAA Tournament appearances over the past seven seasons. Blair is in his 14th season at WCU, going 246-136 overall with five 20-win seasons.
IUP IN THE POLLS
- IUP jumped to second in the NABC Coaches' Poll on December 6, holding steady at No. 2 in the D2SIDA poll.
- IUP has been ranked in the top 10 over 50 times, dating back to the 2019-20 preseason poll, including the entire 2022-23 season.
- This is the 20th straight week the Hawks are ranked in the top-10 of both polls.
- The NABC ranking on December 13 marked the 202nd in program history, also the 115th time ranked inside the top 10 and the 65th week ranked inside the top five.
DEFENSE A FOCAL POINT SO FAR IN 2022-23
- The Crimson Hawks lead the PSAC and NCAA DII in scoring defense (56.1) and field goal percentage defense (.345). IUP ranks sixth nationally in three-point percentage defense, allowing opponents to convert at just 26.3% from deep.
- IUP is third in the PSAC with 10.4 steals/game. The Crimson Hawks have nine players in their lineup with three or more steals.
- IUP has ranked in the top 10 nationally among NCAA DII schools in scoring defense in both 2021-22 (62.1) and 2019-20 (65.3).
- IUP has limited seven of eight opponents to 60 points or less in 2022-23.
- Morris is third in the PSAC with 17 steals, while Jones has 13 steals through seven games.
- Ethan Porterfield has 11 blocks this season and has 117 for his career, good for third all-time in program history. He is 45 blocks away from tying IUP Hall of Famer Darryl Webb for second all-time.
LOMBARDI AMONG ELITE COACHES IN ALL OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL
- IUP HC Joe Lombardi (376-106) has helped transform IUP into a consistent national power, now in his 17th season. Through his initial 16 seasons, Lombardi has helped guide IUP to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, six PSAC titles, three Atlantic Region Championships and two DII national title game appearances.
- Lombardi is fourth among active NCAA DII head coaches with a .780 winning percentage, just behind Northwest Missouri State's Ben McCollum (.806). He's sixth among active head coaches in winning percentage across all divisions.
- With a minimum of 10 years of experience, Lombardi is 15th among all NCAA head coaches in all-time winning percentage. Members of the list include names like Mark Few, John Wooden, Adolph Rupp and Jerry Tarkanian, among others.
EXPERIENCED GROUP RETURNS FROM LAST YEAR'S FINAL FOUR SQUAD
- IUP returned four starters from last year's NCAA Final Four squad, and that experienced group has once again been key contributors through the opening portions of the 2022-23 season.
- Jones played in just seven games last season, averaging 25.0 points before suffering a season-ending leg injury. He has returned in a big way, providing a veteran presence and an elite ability to score the basketball while still working back to full strength.
- Meanwhile, Ethan Porterfield, Dave Morris and Tomiwa Sulaiman have all had flashes of brilliance so far in 2022-23 for IUP, which is continuing to progress together as a unit.
- Including last year's program-best 33-3 record, the Hawks have gone 41-3 dating back to the start of last season.
THE REIGNING, DEFENDING PSAC CHAMPIONS
- IUP won its third consecutive PSAC Championship with a 63-52 win against Millersville at the KCAC on March 5, 2022.
- It marked the 12th PSAC Tournament championship in program history and s sixth conference title under HC Joe Lombardi, the most among active PSAC coaches and the second most in conference history.
- IUP's 12 titles are second behind Cheyney's 15.
- Ethan Porterfield was named the PSAC Tournament MVP, averaging 15.0 PPG and 8.7 RPG.
BEARER IS BACK; PART OF NEW-LOOK ASSISTANT STAFF
- Former IUP captain Greg Bearer is back with the men's basketball program, returning to the bench to serve as an assistant coach in 2022-23.
- Bearer previously worked at the nationally renowned DME Academy prior to returning to Indiana.
- Also new to the staff this season is graduate assistant Jake Perrin, who worked as a head coach at the high school level.
- Former assistant coach Ron Fadula accepted the head coaching job at upstart South Carolina Beaufort back in October. He is one of several former assistants to take the next step in their professional coaching tenure, including Shippensburg head coach Chris Fite.
