INDIANA, Pa. - Freshman forward
Tomiwa Sulaiman scored a key tip-in with 1:15 left and the top-seed Crimson Hawks fended off a second half comeback attempt from Cal U, as IUP advanced in the PSAC tournament with a 70-64 victory Wednesday night at the Kovalchick Complex.
As the top seed in the Western Division, the Crimson Hawks will host the conference tournament's championship weekend at the KCAC on Saturday and Sunday, March 5-6. IUP will play Shippensburg, the No. 3 seed in from the Eastern Division, in the semifinals on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
It was the 12th straight victory for the Hawks, who head into the semifinals with a 27-2 overall record. Cal U fell to 21-9 overall.
How it happened
The Hawks had all of the momentum early, scoring on six of their first seven possessions to take a 14-3 lead at the 15:41 mark. IUP later went on top by 13 points at 22-9 after a layup-and-one play by junior guard
Armoni Foster.
The Vulcans used the 3-pointer to climb back into the game, hitting four treys over a five minute span to cut IUP's lead to 29-25 with just over six minutes to play in the half. Foster put the Hawks on top by six with 3:30 to play, but that was the last bucket for IUP in the half as the Vulcans scored five straight points and went into the locker room trailing 35-34.
Cal U opened the second with a 3-pointer to take the lead but the Hawks responded with a 14-2 run over 4:08 to go back on top by double-figures at 49-39 with 14:07 left.
The Vulcans again fought back, closing the gap to 49-48 just over three minutes later and kept the game within five for most of the stretch run.
Clinging to a 61-60 lead with 2:33 to play, Sulaiman forced a turnover and sophomore forward
Ethan Porterfield knocked down a 3-pointer on the other end to go on top by four points. After a Cal U bucket, Sulaiman again came up big with an offensive rebound and tip-in to make it a 66-62 game with 1:15 to play. A Vulcans 3-pointer on their ensuing possession was off the mark as Sulaiman grabbed the rebound, and free throws by Porterfield and Foster in the closing seconds sealed the win in front of the loud home crowd.
IUP overcame 20 turnovers offensively by forcing 15 on defense and outrebounding the Vulcans 40-to-32. IUP had 15 offensive boards and scored 16 second chance points.
Who stood out
Porterfield led all scorers with 22 points and had a team-best 12 rebounds for his second straight double-double. He shot 8-of-15 from the field, made three 3-pointers, and went 4-of-5 from the foul line.
Freshman guard
Dallis Dillard scored 14 points, going 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Sulaiman battled foul trouble to score 10 points and grab seven rebounds in 23 minutes while Foster dished out 11 assists to go with seven points.
Notes
IUP entered the game ranked No. 3 in the NABC Coaches and No. 2 in the D2SIDA Media Top 25 polls ... IUP is also the No. 2 seed in the latest NCAA Atlantic Region rankings ... IUP is seeking its third straight PSAC tournament title and 12th all-time ... IUP is making its sixth PSAC semifinals appearance in the last seven tournaments ... Overall this is IUP's 14th straight tournament appearance dating back to 2008 ... This was IUP's 17th straight victory over Cal U dating back to the 2013-14 season ... Head coach
Joe Lombardi is 22-8 in PSAC tournament games ... IUP has won 34of its last 35 home games ... Foster is 14th in IUP history with 1,469 career points.
Up next
The Crimson Hawks square off against East No. 3 seed Shipppensburg (21-8) in the PSAC semifinals on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Raiders are the only team to beat IUP on its home court this year, winning 72-60 back on December 19. The winner will advance to play the winner of Millersville and Mercyhurst for the PSAC title on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.
