MANSFIELD, Pa. – The third-ranked IUP men's basketball team shot 65% from beyond the arc, handling Mansfield in a 97-61 win to begin Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover action on Friday night.
 
IUP (6-0, 1-0) posted its highest scoring output since last January against Seton Hill and emerged with its biggest margin of victory this season. The Crimson Hawks shot 59.7% for the game and a blistering 71.4% from the floor in the second half.
 
IUP has won its last six conference openers, moving to 13-3 all-time under head coach Joe Lombardi. Every player that saw the floor registered at least three points as Dave Morris (6-9 3FG) led the offensive charge with 24 points. It marked the 11th 20-point scoring game for Morris and second this season.
 
Going 15-for-23 from distance, IUP logged its highest number of made three-point baskets since late January 2022 against Edinboro (16-46). The three-point percentage of 65.2% ranks just outside the top 10 in program history for a single game.
 
Shawndale Jones posted 18 points, continuing to close in on 1,000 points for his collegiate career, with four rebounds and four assists. He extended his streak of consecutive foul shots to 34, making his lone attempt in the second half on Friday.  
 
Ethan Porterfield bounced back with 17 points (3-3 3FG) and four rebounds. Overall, IUP collected eight steals and held a 31-12 margin in points off turnovers. IUP made more three-point baskets (15) than foul shots (8) with seven different players connecting from long range.
 
Working in every available player into the lineup, the IUP bench received some valuable minutes in the second half. Callum MacNamara recorded his first collegiate points in the contest, finishing with seven on the night, including a slick turnaround jumper late in the second half.
 
IUP led by 15 at the break, stretching its advantage to 30 points with just under eight minutes remaining in the contest. Mansfield (1-3, 0-1) worked the score tied at nine with a three from Scott Woodring in the first half before IUP took control from there. A 15-4 run that included a barrage of triples from Morris and Jones pushed IUP by double digits with 11:08 remaining in the opening half.
 
Mansfield sliced its deficit to as low as six, but IUP used another timely scoring run to close out the half. Porterfield lined up a trey from the right wing as time expired in the first half, pushing IUP ahead 45-30 at the intermission.
 
KJ Rhodes connected from long range off a feed from Jaheim Bethea for a 65-44 advantage. The Hawks were off and running at that point with Damir Brooks stealing the ball and dunking it on the offensive end for an emphatic 30-point margin at 76-46. Out of the under-eight media timeout, Brooks rocked the rim again off a pass from Bethea at 7:13.
 
IUP remained in control throughout the remainder of the half, working in the rest of the bench over the final few minutes. Tomiwa Sulaiman was active with eight points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
 
Woodring paced Mansfield with 19 points, adding three rebounds and one assist.  
 
Up Next
IUP continues its crossover weekend tomorrow (December 2) at Bloomsburg for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
 
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.

 

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