ERIE, Pa. -- Top-ranked IUP men's basketball took care of business with a 79-67 victory against a scrappy Gannon side on Wednesday night in Erie.
IUP (14-0, 8-0) remains undefeated, placing four in double figures while going 24-for-28 from the foul line.
Dave Morris posted a game-high 24 points, adding seven rebounds with six steals in his return to Erie.
Shawndale Jones notched 21 points (10-10 FT) of his own with
Ethan Porterfield adding 14 points, six rebounds and three steals.
Tomiwa Sulaiman made some timely plays on the defensive end, posting 11 points and seven rebounds. Gannon (0-13) was led by Division I transfers Demetrius Mims and Zach Kent, finishing with a 56% shooting clip as a team.
Mims dropped in 21 points, while Kent continues to work back to full strength with 17 points (8-12 FG). Overall, IUP led for over 37 minutes as Gannon attacked the paint throughout the night.
IUP started off hot with consecutive triples before Gannon responded back. Jones dropped in nine quick points, absorbing contact and finishing for a 16-13 edge at the under-12 media timeout in the first.
IUP rattled off a quick 8-0 run, stringing together some defensive stops, to move ahead 25-18. Porterfield lined up a trey off a feed from Jaylen Stewart as IUP found an offensive rhythm. The Knights used some transition play to stay within striking distance as IUP led 30-24 with 3:51 showing in the opening half.
Morris had a strong stretch with a three-pointer followed by a circus layup through contact, making the and-one foul shot to stretch the IUP edge to 38-24. The Knights finished the half with five straight, including a tip in just before the first half buzzer.
Jones logged 11 points in the first half for IUP, who had six different players with a steal. Morris added 11 on 4-of-9 shooting for IUP, while Mims dropped in 10 points over the initial 20 minutes.
Gannon cooled off from the floor through much of the second half as IUP locked down on the defensive end. IUP slowly worked its lead to 48-39 and maintained an advantage of around 10 points. Porterfield lined up a three for a 58-48 lead despite a tough night shooting for the Hawks.
Porterfield knocked down a trey from the right wing as IUP pressed its lead forward to 63-51, becoming the third Hawk in double digits. Kent and Mims looked to will Gannon back but Jones used a timely three to keep IUP ahead double digits with under three minutes remaining.
The Hawks held on with time ticking away as Gannon tried to extend the contest by fouling.
Up Next
IUP continues its road swing with a trip to Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday, January 14 at 3:00 p.m.
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