INDIANA, Pa. – Top-ranked IUP men's basketball will take its undefeated record on the road for two games over three days, visiting Edinboro on January 23 before squaring off with Slippery Rock on January 25.
IUP (17-0, 10-0) used a convincing second half to pull away for a 17-point win against Cal U last Saturday at the KCAC. Shandale Jones poured in 31 points in the victory, one of several standout performers in the team's 28th straight regular season victory.
Edinboro (5-11) is fresh off a road win at Clarion last time out, which snapped a five-game skid for the Fighting Scots. Slippery Rock (12-5) welcomes Lock Haven on Monday before hosting IUP on January 25.
GAME INFORMATION – EDINBORO
GAME INFORMATION – SLIPPERY ROCK
IUP NEWS AND NOTES
- IUP extended its regular season winning streak to 28 straight following the victory against Cal U, dating back to the 2021-22 season.
- Shawndale Jones, the leading scorer in the PSAC, averaged 27.0 points and 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals in two divisional wins last week for the Crimson Hawks. Jones posted his second career 30-point outing with 31 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals against Cal U.
- IUP boasts the highest winning percentage in NCAA DII basketball since 2019-20, going 78-5 (.939) overall with marks of 28-2, 33-3 and 17-0, not counting the 2020-21 season where most schools did not play.
- Tomiwa Sulaiman, a three-time PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week this season, nearly averaged a double-double last week with 12.0 points and 9.0 rebounds. Sulaiman was a huge factor in the win against the Vulcans with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.
- With a minimum of 10 years of experience, IUP HC Joe Lombardi (384-106; .784) is 14th among all NCAA head coaches in all-time winning percentage. Members of the list include names like Mark Few, John Wooden, Adolph Rupp and Jerry Tarkanian, among others.
- IUP is 50-3 (.943) overall dating back to last season and 110-9 since 2018-19. The Hawks have won all but two contests by double digits this season on their way to a 17-0 start.
- Dave Morris is averaging four assists/game in conference games this season, breaking into the top 10 in program history for career assists as one of IUP's primary leaders. Meanwhile, Ethan Porterfield continues showcasing his inside-outside ability, averaging 15.4 points during the last five games while shooting 49% from the floor and 50% from beyond the arc during that span.
- IUP ranks among the top five in the nation in both scoring defense and field goal percentage defense. Leading the charge on the defensive end are Sulaiman, Jones and Dallis Dillard, who are each among the top five in the PSAC in steals/game.
- Lombardi is 25-8 lifetime against Edinboro, including 25 wins in the last 27 meetings. The Hawks have won six straight at McComb Fieldhouse.
- Lombardi is 27-7 against Slippery Rock, which includes five consecutive victories in the head-to-head series.
SCOUTING EDINBORO
- Edinboro grabbed its first win of 2023 after a 73-69 final over Clarion. The Scots finished with five players reaching double figures, including Naim Miller who finished with 19 points and six rebounds.
- Edinboro is a strong rebounding club, ranking third in the league in rebounding average (38.3) and second in offensive rebounding (12.6). Two of the catalysts on the glass for Edinboro are Dominique Keys (a 2017-18 redshirt at IUP) at 10.4 rebounds and Kierell Green with 7.6 rebounds/game.
- Pat Cleary, a 1999 graduate of Edinboro, is six wins shy from 100 during his head coaching career.
SCOUTING SLIPPERY ROCK
- Slippery Rock suffered a close 72-68 loss on the road at Pitt-Johnstown, marking the team's third loss in the last four games.
- SRU is fourth in the PSAC West entering the week, behind IUP, Mercyhurst and UPJ. The Rock have lost to both Mercyhurst and UPJ this season, but are still just three games out of second in the western division.
- Amante Britt and Khalid Gates guide SRU with 14.8 points/game apiece. Britt also leads the team in steals (27) and assists (40) as a veteran guard closing in on 1,000 career points. Meanwhile, Gates is sixth in the league in field goal percentage (.536).
- Slippery Rock enters the week having won its last 13 games at Morrow Field House. The winning streak started with three home victories at the end of last season and has continued into this year with SRU's first 10 home games of the year.
UP NEXT
- IUP welcomes East Stroudsburg, ranked 14th in the latest NABC coaches' poll, to the KCAC on Saturday for a 3:00 p.m. tipoff.
