INDIANA, Pa. – Top-ranked IUP men's basketball stayed undefeated with a resounding 87-55 victory against Clarion on Wednesday night at the KCAC.
 
IUP (16-0, 10-0) pushed its regular season winning streak to 27 consecutive, also notching the 23rd straight win in the head-to-head series with Clarion (2-14, 0-10). Shawndale Jones fired in 23 points in 29 minutes with five rebounds, four assists and four steals to lead the Hawks.
 
Dave Morris added 17 points and five assists, while Ethan Porterfield logged 12 of his 16 points in the first half to help the Hawks. IUP racked up 49 points in the second half, shooting 50.9% for the game and 55.3% from beyond the arc. Clarion dropped its 12th consecutive game, led by 18 points from Jayson Harris. Steve Kelly chipped in 15 points for the Golden Eagles, who chipped away at times in the first half.
 
The Hawks picked up their 23rd straight win at the KCAC, which had a nice contingent of students back in the crowd as part of a consistent effort.
 
Clarion hung around in the first half as IUP maintained a lead hovering around 10 over the opening 20 minutes. Morris sunk a three-point basket for a 7-2 lead begore the Golden Eagles countered back with a Steve Kelly fastbreak layin.
 
Kelly knocked down a second transition bucket, trimming Clarion's deficit to 9-8 at the 15:27 mark. IUP promptly responded with an arching triple from Porterfield, his first of two in the opening half. His second trey widened the IUP margin to 10 at 20-10.
 
Both teams traded trips up the floor before IUP used a 6-0 run behind, prompted by a basket and go-ahead pass from Sulaiman to Porterfield for a 38-23 advantage. Clarion closed the half with the final two layups over the last 1:17, slicing the halftime deficit to 38-27.
 
Porterfield knocked down five of his six field goal attempts in the opening 20 minutes, notching a game-high 12 points with five rebounds. Jones added 10 points of his own with five boards, while Morris and Sulaiman chipped in six each.
 
Kelly was an efficient 5-for-6 from the field for the Golden Eagles, logging 10 first half points with five rebounds. Overall, Clarion converted at just a 34.3% clip as IUP tightened down on the defensive side.
 
In the second half, IUP used several key stretches and aggressive defense to quickly stretch as 15-point advantage to a 30-point edge. The Hawks built a 6-2 advantage to start the half, using another 6-2 surge capped by a Dallis Dillard slam dunk at 10:04.
 
Morris put IUP back ahead by 31 with a triple at 6:46, a wide margin the Hawks maintained until the end. The Hawks were able to incorporate a large chunk of the bench over the wanning moments.
 
Up Next
IUP men's basketball is back home, hosting California (Pa.) on Saturday, January 21 at 3:00 p.m.
 
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP men's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB. 

 

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