INDIANA, Pa. - Junior guard
Dave Morris shot well and went for 22 points to lead the top-seeded IUP men's basketball team defeated Fayetteville State in the opening round of the NCAA tournament Saturday evening at the Kovalchick Complex.
IUP and the KCAC are serving as hosts for the 2022 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Atlantic Region Championship this weekend.
The Crimson Hawks improved to 30-2 on the year and move on to the semifinal round of the Atlantic regional where they will play fourth-seeded Mercyhurst on Sunday night.
How it happened
Fayetteville State, the eighth-seed in the region, kept the game close early with IUP leading by just three points at 16-13 at the midway point of the opening half. Sophomore forward
Ethan Porterfield has six points in the first six minutes and Morris knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers over a 51-second span.
Another Morris triple and free throws by junior guard
Armoni Foster helped IUP score seven straight points to take a double-figure lead at 23-13 just 30 seconds later. The Broncos (21-9) came right back, going on a 10-2 run to cut IUP's lead to just two. The Hawks ended the half with seven straight points and took a 32-23 lead into the break.
The Hawks brought that momentum into the second half and combined to go on a 17-2 run to take a commanding 42-25 lead with under 16 minutes to play. An 11-0 run by FSU quickly brought its deficit back to six, but three straight 3-pointers by Porterfield, freshman
Dallis Dillard, and Morris got the lead back to 13 points. IUP kept its lead in double-figures the rest of the way, ending the game on a 9-3 run.
Fayetteville State held a 40-32 advantage in rebounds, but the Hawks turned the ball over just seven times, made nine 3-pointers, and tallied 10 steals.
Who stood out
Morris converted 7-of-10 from the field, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range. It was the second time this year he's hit six treys in a game and the fifth time he's gone for more than 20 points.
Porterfield nearly grabbed a double-double with 12 points and a team-best nine rebounds.
Foster had 10 points, six assists and four rebounds. He ran his season total to 220 assists, becoming IUP's all-time single season leader in that category, breaking Devante Chance's (2014-15) record of 217.
Notes
IUP is the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Atlantic Region Championship for the third straight eligible season ... IUP is making its 18th all-time NCAA tournament appearance, including its 11th under head coach
Joe Lombardi since the 2009 season ... Lombardi is 19-9 in NCAA tournament games ... IUP is 12-2 in NCAA first round games ... This is Lombardi's fourth 30-win season since 2009-10 ... IUP is 19-1 at home this season and 37-1 since the start of the 2019-20 season ... IUP is 33-3 in February and March over the last three full seasons ... Foster hit 1,500 career points and has 598 points this season, which is ninth all-time.
Up next
IUP will face off against division-rival Mercyhurst in the regional semifinals Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Mercyhurst defeated Millersville 71-65 in Saturday's first round.
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.
