INDIANA, Pa. – The second-ranked IUP men's basketball program returns to the court for the first time in over a week, hosting NCAA DIII Penn State Altoona on Sunday, December 11. Tipoff at the KCAC is set for 4:00 p.m., following the women's nonconference matchup earlier in the day.
IUP (7-0, 2-0 PSAC) cruised to a pair of conference crossover victories last weekend at Mansfield and Bloomsburg. Using some strong defense and balanced scoring, the Crimson Hawks jumped to second nationally in the NABC DII poll.
Tomiwa Sulaiman repeated as the PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, one of several impressive performances over the last number of games for the Hawks.
Meanwhile, Penn State-Altoona bounced back with a win against Albion on Friday night. Sunday's game will be countable for IUP and an exhibition for Penn State Altoona. Andruw Harman posted 18 points in leading the Lions, which shot 48.3% from the field.
GAME INFORMATION – PENN STATE ALTOONA
TIPOFF NOTES
- IUP, now ranked second in both major polls, has won 18 consecutive regular-season contests dating back to the 2021-22 campaign. The Crimson Hawks have also been spectacular on their home floor over the last few seasons, going 41-1 at home since the start of 2019-20 campaign.
- The Hawks have knocked off Penn State Altoona in the previous two matchups between the programs. Playing in consecutive seasons back in 1998-99 and 1999-2000 under head coach Gary Edwards.
- The high-energy Sulaiman averaged 11.0 points and nine rebounds in three starts, adding six blocks, five steals and four assists on his way to PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week honors. The London, England native was particularly impressive in an Atlantic Region battle against New Haven on November 26 at the KCAC, logging 19 points and 11 rebounds (nine defensive) with three blocks and one steal.
- IUP racked up a 113-53 win against the Lions in the home opener of the 1999-2000 season. That team won the PSAC and NCAA East Region, advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight.
- IUP shot 65% from the floor and made 15 three-point field goals in a convincing 97-61 win over Mansfield to open conference play on December 2. Dave Morris posted a career-high 24 points in the victory, his 11th time going over 20 points at IUP.
- The Hawks followed It up with another shutdown defensive effort in a 69-49 road triumph against Bloomsburg. Despite a late run from the Huskies that made the final score closer than it was, the Crimson Hawks limited Bloomsburg to 28.8% shooting on the night, also using a 27-10 edge in points off turnovers to remain undefeated.
- Offensively for IUP, Shawndale Jones has scored 20 points in six of seven games this season working back from last year's leg injury. Jones is 40 points shy of 1,000 for his career between his tenure at NJIT and IUP. Jones is the only student-athlete in the PSAC and one of 41 in NCAA DII with a scoring average of 20 points or more.
SCOUTING PENN STATE ALTOONA
- 2022-23 Overview | Overall: 3-5 | AMCC: 0-0 | Home: 2-1 | Away: 0-3 | Neutral: 0-1
- PJ Charles (14.7) and Savion Word (14.5) pace the Lions in scoring, two of five players averaging double figures.
- The Lions set a program record for wins (19) last season, winning the AMCC regular-season title.
- Harman was a first-team All-AMCC pick and All-ECAC Division III pick last season, also selected as the AMCC Defensive Player of the Year, and was chosen as the conference's Preseason Player of the Year heading into this season.
- The Lions are shooting 46.1% from the field as a team, posting 15.1 assists/game. PSA is also blocking just over four shots per contest, with Dwayne Jones recording 14 rejections individually.
- David McGreal was named the head coach at Penn State Altoona back in 2016. He had a 15-year coaching stint before his arrival at PSA, also starring as a four-year player at NCAA DIII Maryville (Tenn.).
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.
- This is the 20th straight week the Hawks are ranked in the top-10 of both polls, which includes four polls for the 2022-23 season.
DEFENSE A FOCAL POINT SO FAR IN 2022-23
- The Crimson Hawks lead the PSAC and rank fourth nationally in scoring defense (56.4). IUP ranks 11th nationally in three-point percentage defense, allowing opponents to convert at just 25.8% from deep, while shooting 35.3% from the field, a mark that leads the nation.
- IUP is third in the PSAC with 10.1 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 six of seven opponents to 60 points or less in 2022-23.
- Jones and Morris 13 steals each for the Crimson Hawks in four games, good for seventh in the PSAC.
- Ethan Porterfield has nine blocks this season and has 115 for his career, good for third all-time in program history. He is 47 blocks away from tying IUP Hall of Famer Darryl Webb for second all-time.
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 gel together as a unit.
- Including last year's program-best 33-3 record, the Hawks have gone 40-3 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.
