SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Top-ranked IUP men's basketball opened up an early lead with a high level of defensive intensity and never looked back in hostile territory, knocking off Slippery Rock by a 72-57 count on Wednesday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action.
IUP (19-0) extended its regular season winning streak to 30 games, jumping ahead 14-4 and leading by double figures most of the way. The Hawks posted their sixth consecutive win in the series with rival Slippery Rock, marking the team's 11th consecutive win in true road games, spanning back to last season. IUP committed just 10 turnovers on the night, forcing Slippery Rock into 13.
The Hawks shot 44.0% for the game, placing four in double figures. The 19-game winning streak marks the third longest in program history and longest in a single season during head coach
Joe Lombardi's tenure.
Shawndale Jones poured in a game-high 24 points (9-14 FG) in 37 minutes.
Tomiwa Sulaiman added a double-double with 11 and 11, while
Ethan Porterfield chipped in 13 points (3-8 3FG) with seven boards.
Slippery Rock (12-7, 6-7) was led by Khalid Gates' 18 points and 11 rebounds. Jonathan McFall dropped in 16 points in 25 minutes, while Lashon Lindsey notched nine and six.
IUP shot 46.4% from the floor in the first half, taking a 39-24 edge into the locker room. Jones reached double figures with 12 points (5-8 FG), while Sulaiman added nine points and seven rebounds. Khalid Gates dropped in 10 points in 17 minutes for SRU, while Amante Britt was held to just one point at the foul line over the opening 20 minutes.
IUP jumped ahead 7-2 with a triple from
Dallis Dillard about three minutes in. The Hawks expanded the advantage with some strong foul shooting before Porterfield dropped in a triple for a 14-4 cushion. It was all part of a 10-2 scoring run for IUP before SRU started to settle in a bit offensively.
Sulaiman used a strong finish through contact on a stickback to quell a Slippery Rock surge, making it 17-10 with 13:12 showing in the first half. The Hawks cooled off a bit before Porterfield converted from deep again, making it 20-11.
Dave Morris drove into the paint before finding Sulaiman with a slick feed for a dunk and a 24-13 advantage. Morris finished the night with six assists and no turnovers, adding 11 points on the night.
The Hawks raced ahead 31-18 following consecutive buckets for Jones, prompting a Slippery Rock timeout at 4:39 in the half. Jones got into double figures with a nice touch around the rim, pushing IUP ahead 35-21. The hoop marked Jones' 52nd career game with at least 10 points as the league's leading scorer.
Leading 39-24 into the second half, IUP struggled shooting the ball for a bit before increasing its lead to 43-28 just over three minutes into the second half. Jones continued where he left off in the first half and Morris added a triple off an athletic offensive rebound from
Dallis Dillard with the lead swelling to 46-30. Slippery Rock narrowed the gap slightly at 48-37, but IUP had a response with a basket and a drawn charge at the other end from Sulaiman.
Out of a timeout, the Hawks continued pressing forward with some strong rebounding on both sides of the floor for a 57-37 lead. The 9-0 run was capped with an alley-oop from Morris to
Damir Brooks at 10:24, taking the air out of the Morrow Field House. IUP went scoreless for the next two minutes as SRU whittled its deficit down to 15 with two baskets from Gates and another from Jomo Goings.
The Hawks maintained the lead with both sides cooling off as time melted away. SRU got to within 11 at 66-55 off a steal and score from Jonathan McFall, but the Hawks got a key stop on the defensive end with Porterfield securing the rebound off a miss from Gates.
IUP closed out the victory by slowing the pace.
Up Next
Top-ranked IUP welcomes No. 25/NR East Stroudsburg on Saturday, January 28 at 3:00 p.m.
Follow
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