INDIANA, Pa. – Top-ranked IUP men's basketball pulled away over the final eight minutes of the game, shooting nearly 56% from the floor in the second half as part of a 76-55 victory against Seton Hill on Wednesday night in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West opener.
IUP (12-0, 6-0) outscored the Seton Hill (6-6, 1-5) by a 45-30 margin in the second half, posting the team's 11th consecutive win in the series.
Dave Morris spearheaded a key run in over the final 20 minutes for the Hawks, finishing with 24 points (9-18 FG), six rebounds and five assists.
Tomiwa Sulaiman added a double-double behind 19 points and 11 rebounds, including some key boards down the stretch.
Shawndale Jones poured in 16 points as IUP grabbed 15 offensive rebounds on the night.
Drew Green and Samuel Tabe posted 10 points each for the Griffins, while Michael Joiner finished with nine. SHU, who used a pesky zone defense throughout the night, trimmed its second half deficit to three points with 17:27 remaining.
Morris fired in a barrage of three-point baskets, coming at 7:23, 6:46 and 6:09, pushing the Hawks to a 62-49 advantage. IUP eventually built its lead up to 20 points with
Callum MacNamara adding a stickback to round out the scoring.
The Hawks were certainly challenged on their way to the team's 22nd consecutive regular season win as Seton Hill used consecutive hoops to slice its deficit to three at 33-30. Ultimately, the Hawks countered over the next five minutes of the half, rebuilding their lead up to 15 points as part of a 12-0 flurry, capped with a jumper from
Damir Brooks.
Seton Hill had one more charge left, getting back to within single digits before the Hawks pulled away for good. The Griffins used a 9-2 run to end the opening half with momentum, which the visitors carried over early in the second.
IUP is now 45-1 at home since 2018-19, posting the team's 21st straight win at the KCAC.
Ethan Porterfield logged seven points, but was impactful with six rebounds, three blocks, three assists and a steal on his birthday.
Dallis Dillard notched four steals for IUP, which forced 17 SHU turnovers. IUP capitalized in points off turnovers, holding a 29-11 edge in that category while owning a 23-9 margin in second chance points.
Up Next
IUP welcomes 9-1 Mercyhurst for a highly anticipated PSAC West clash on Saturday, January 7 from the KCAC 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.
