INDIANA, Pa. – Top-ranked IUP men's basketball is back on the road Saturday to battle Pitt-Johnstown in a matchup of the top two teams in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West standings. Tipoff from the UPJ Sports Center is set for 3:00 p.m.
Despite some lapses, IUP (14-0, 8-0) held off Gannon for a 79-67 victory in Erie on Wednesday. The winless Knights hung around throughout the contest, getting back to within seven before IUP took control and closed out the victory at the foul line.
Pitt-Johnstown (11-3, 7-1) is second in the PSAC West standings, just one game behind the Hawks. The Mountain Cats have won six consecutive games, most recently a 66-53 triumph at Clarion.
GAME INFORMATION – PITT-JOHNSTOWN
TIPOFF NOTES
- IUP extended its regular season winning streak to 25 straight following the victory against Gannon, dating back to the 2021-22 season.
- Dave Morris, named the PSAC West Athlete of the Week on Monday, is now just seven points shy of 1,000 during his IUP tenure.
- Morris previously reached 1,000 career points, factoring in his one season at Tennessee State. The Erie native returned home in a big way, dropping in 24 points with seven rebounds, six assists and a steal.
- IUP is 47-3 overall dating back to last season and 107-9 since 2018-19. The Hawks have won all but one contest by double digits this season on their way to a 13-0 start.
- Gannon shot 56% from the floor and 61.5% in the second half against a normally stout IUP defense. It's the highest shooting mark for the winless Knights all season and the highest percentage allowed by IUP since January 2020 against Pitt-Johnstown (56.3%).
- IUP HC Joe Lombardi owns an 18-4 record against Pitt-Johnstown, including a 17-2 mark since they joined the PSAC in 2013. One of those loses came on the road last season in a narrow 70-68 defeat.
- IUP is 77-6 in PSAC West games since the 2016-17 season, going 40-2 at home during that span.
- IUP is second in NCAA DII in scoring defense (57.9) and leads the nation field goal percentage defense (.367). On the offensive end, Shawndale Jones leads the PSAC at 19.8 points/game, also 16th in assist/turnover ratio (1.0).
- Ethan Porterfield converted four of IUP's 11 total three-point baskets against Gannon, while Dallis Dillard was active defensively with three steals and multiple deflections. Porterfield is two rebounds shy of 500 for his IUP career.
SCOUTING PITT-JOHNSTOWN
- Head Coach Bob Rukavina's (34th-year) Pitt-Johnstown Mountain Cats increased their winning streak to six straight games and improved to 11-3 overall and 7-1 in the PSAC West with Wednesday's 66-53 victory at Clarion. John Paul Kromka's 16 points and six rebounds led four Mountain Cat double figure scorers. Joe Batt had 13 points and seven rebounds, Jared Jakubick had 10 points and a game-high eight boards, and Andrew Shull had 10 points.
- Kromka, who will be honored prior to the game for breaking Pitt-Johnstown's all-time career blocks record, now has 278 blocks. He also ranks fifth on the Mountain Cat all-time scoring list (1,646 points), fourth on the all-time rebounding list (818 rebounds) and 15th on the all-time assists list. (269 assists).
- UPJ is eighth nationally in field goal percentage, converting at a 51.8% clip as a team. The Mountain Cats lead NCAA DII in three-point percentage, knocking down 43.9% of their shots from beyond the arc as a unit.
IUP IN THE POLLS
- IUP moved to first in the D2SIDA poll, released December 21, before coming in first in the NABC rankings on December 27. The Hawks maintained the number one spot this week following their victories against Seton Hill and Mercyhurst.
- The Hawks spent 11 consecutive weeks ranked first in the coaches poll in 1994-95.
- IUP was also the last PSAC men's basketball program ranked first nationally back in the mid-1990s. Prior to that, California (Pa.) was ranked atop the national poll for five weeks in 1992-93, with Millersville and Cheyney earning the number one spot in the 1980s.
- IUP has been ranked in the top 10 over 50 times, dating back to the 2019-20 preseason poll, including the entire 2022-23 season.
- This is the 23rd straight week the Hawks are ranked in the top-10 of both polls.
- The NABC ranking on January 10 marked the 205th in program history, also the 118th time ranked inside the top 10 and the 68th week ranked inside the top five.
DEFENSE A FOCAL POINT SO FAR IN 2022-23
- The Crimson Hawks lead the PSAC and rank second in NCAA DII in scoring defense (57.9). The Hawks are first in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.367) and third in three-point percentage defense, allowing opponents to convert at just 27.5% from deep.
- IUP ranks 11th in the nation, across all NCAA divisions, in field goal percentage defense.
- IUP is third in the PSAC and sixth in NCAA DII with 10.2 steals/game. The Crimson Hawks have five players in their lineup with 10 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 10 of 13 opponents to 60 points or less in 2022-23. Additionally, IUP has surrendered five or fewer made three-point baskets in six outings this season.
- IUP has three players rank among the top 10 in the PSAC in steals this season with Dallis Dillard leading the conference (27), just ahead of Tomiwa Sulaiman (25).
- Ethan Porterfield has 17 blocks this season and has 123 for his career, good for third all-time in program history. He is 39 blocks away from tying IUP Hall of Famer Darryl Webb for second all-time.
LOMBARDI AMONG ELITE COACHES IN ALL OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL
- IUP HC Joe Lombardi (382-106) has helped transform IUP into a consistent national power, now in his 17th season. Lombardi continues to close in on 400 career victories, owning the fourth most wins in PSAC history.
- Through his initial 16 seasons, Lombardi has helped guide IUP to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, six PSAC titles, three Atlantic Region Championships and two DII national title game appearances.
- Lombardi is fourth among active NCAA DII head coaches with a .783 winning percentage, just behind Northwest Missouri State's Ben McCollum (.806). He's sixth among active head coaches in winning percentage across all divisions.
- With a minimum of 10 years of experience, Lombardi is tied for 14th among all NCAA head coaches in all-time winning percentage with Francis Schmidt (Tulsa/Arkaansas/TCU). Members of the list include names like Mark Few, John Wooden, Adolph Rupp and Jerry Tarkanian, among others.
HOME SWEET HOME
- IUP has put together a remarkable run of success over the last several seasons, thanks in large part to the team's excellent play on their home floor.
- IUP boasts a 226-36 record in home games all-time under head coach Joe Lombardi.
- Additionally, IUP has gone 65-3 at home since the 2018-19 season. The Hawks have lost just once at home since the start of the 2019-20 season, going 45-1 in home games during that span.
- The win against Mercyhurst on January 7 was the 22nd consecutive home win for the Hawks, which marked an entire calendar year with an undefeated home mark, including the playoffs. The last home loss came to Shippensburg on December 19, 2021, which ended a 24-game home winning streak.
- IUP's longest home win streak during the Lombardi Era is 30 straight victories, from 2008-11.
- IUP has two undefeated home seasons under Lombardi - 18-0 in 2009-10 and 16-0 in 2019-20.
JONES MAKING MOST OF SECOND CHANCE
- Shawndale Jones has been stellar in his return to the IUP program in 2022-23. Battling back from a leg injury in just the seventh game of last season, Jones has continued working back to full strength.
- He posted the 1,000th point of his collegiate career against West Chester on December 19. He has scored 714 points during his time in an IUP uniform, shooting 49.4% from the floor for his career as a Crimson Hawk.
- Jones leads the PSAC in scoring (19.8), also 12th in the league in steals/game (1.67) and 13th in assists/game (3.0).
- Jones is a two-time PSAC West Athlete of the Week for the Hawks this season, earning the accolade on November 21 and December 20.
- He dropped in a career-best 37 points (16-28 FG) in 39 minutes at Bowie State in November 2021.
- Jones was named the PSAC Tournament MVP in 2019-20 as a sixth man for the Hawks, helping lead IUP to the school's 11th conference title that season.
MIGHTY MORRIS
- Dave Morris have proven valuable across the board as the trigger man for the IUP offense. Morris recently surpassed 1,000 collegiate points and also scored 2,270 points at Strong Vincent HS, the most in Erie history.
- Morris enters the UPJ game just seven points shy of 1,000 during his IUP career, fresh off a 24-point outing against Gannon that included some acrobatic finishes at the rim.
- Morris had a key second-half sequence of three-point baskets against Seton Hill earlier this week, helping fuel a decisive run for the Hawks. He followed it up with 21 points in a victory against Mercyhurst, earning PSAC West Athlete of the Week laurels on January 9.
- He is fifth among active DII men's basketball players in steals/game for his career, averaging 2.08. The NCAA DII leader is Kobe Rodgers from Nova Southeastern (2.71).
- Morris secured the 400th rebound of his collegiate career with three boards against Millersville on December 30. He posted 44 rebounds in his one season at Tennessee State and 376 at IUP.
- Morris also has 338 career assists at IUP alone, two shy of Ron McNabb for 10th in program history. When factoring in his 27 assists at Tennessee State, Morris is ninth all-time in program history with 365 assists.
- Morris is first in PSAC with 56 assists this season, posting three or more in 13 games.
- He was named PSAC West Athlete of the Week on December 12, following a career outing of 31 points (10-16 FG) against Penn State Altoona.
PORTERFIELD IS WORKING HARD TO CONTRIBUTE
- Despite not being full strength, Porterfield continues to be a vital part of the IUP lineup and rotation in his junior season. He's beginning to find his shooting touch from beyond the arc, going 53.8% from deep in three outings since the new year.
- Porterfield is still averaging double figures (11.7) and leads the team with 17 blocks in 12 games.
- He was an efficient 5-7 from the floor for 11 points with five rebounds and four assists at Millersville. Porterfield matched a season-high three blocks against Seton Hill on January 4.
- Porterfield surpassed 1,000 career points on a pull-up three in the second half against Walsh in November.
SULAIMAN AND BROOKS CREATE DYNAMIC INSIDE DUO FOR HAWKS
- Sulaiman and Damir Brooks have combined to create a high-energy low post duo for IUP, each with an ability to alter the game on the defensive side of the ball.
- The sophomores combine for 11.5 rebounds per game, each providing a big spark to the IUP lineup.
- Sulaiman is a two-time PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week on November 21 and December 5, averaging 12.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks.
- Meanwhile, Brooks has provided his fair share of highlight reel sequences in limited action off the bench. He is shooting an efficient 77.1% (27-35) from the floor, adding 11 blocks and six steals.
THE REIGNING, DEFENDING PSAC CHAMPIONS CAPTURE THIRD IN A ROW
- 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 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.
