INDIANA, Pa. - For the third straight season the IUP men's basketball team won the conference title, as the Crimson Hawks defeated Millersville 63-52 in the 2022 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tournament championship game Sunday at the Kovalchick Complex. 

The win clinches at automatic bid to the Division II NCAA tournament which will get underway next weekend. The Crimson Hawks are one of two teams vying for the top seed and hosting rights for the Atlantic Region.

This marks the 12th all-time PSAC title for the IUP men's basketball program, including the sixth in 16 seasons for head coach Joe Lombardi. IUP has also won conference tournament titles in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2019 and 2020. 

Sophomore forward Ethan Porterfield was named the PSAC Tournament MVP after averaging 15.0 points and 8.7 rebounds with seven 3-pointers and four blocks in three games.

How it happened
Millersville scored the first bucket but the Hawks dominated the first half, going on a 17-1 run to take a 14-point lead at the midway point of the first half. The lead reached as many as 17 points after a 3-pointer by Bryce Radford and then again heading into the locker room at 35-18.

Junior guard Dave Morris knocked down a 3-pointer to put IUP on top by 22 points at the 13:07 mark of the second half, capping a 12-5 run to open things up. The Hawks then scored nine straight points, with Morris again knocking down a trey to put IUP up by 28 at 58-30 with nine to play.

Some foul calls went Millersville's way down the stretch but the Hawks kept their big lead en route to their championship win.

Who stood out
Morris scored a team-best 19 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the field, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range. He also had five rebounds and three steals. 

Porterfield finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, knocking down three 3-pointers while blockign two shots. 

Junior guard Armoni Foster had nine points, six rebounds and seven assists and freshman forward Tomiwa Sulaiman had six points, 11 rebounds and seven steals.

Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.