INDIANA, Pa. – The fourth-ranked IUP men's basketball program went cold down the stretch, falling to Concord in a 61-57 setback on Friday night at the KCAC.
IUP (0-1) had the ball, trailing by two with under 20 seconds to go in the contest. IUP could not convert a quality look, part of a tough shooting night (19-71; 26.1%), before Concord (1-0) iced the game at the line with 12 seconds left. In addition to a sluggish shooting night, IUP went 12-of-20 from the foul line for the game.
IUP led for about two minutes in the second half as Concord kept the Hawks at bay throughout the final 20 minutes. Jordan Wooden paced the Mountain Lions with 18 points and six rebounds, while Amare Smith added 16 points and six boards. Concord shot 50% in the second half and held a 30-22 edge in paint points on the night.
It's just the third loss at home for IUP in its last 57 contests at the KCAC.
Ethan Porterfield and
Garvin Clarke recorded 16 points apiece for IUP with
Dallis Dillard posting a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. It's the first season-opening loss for the Hawks since the 2017-18 season, falling to then 20th-ranked Findlay at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Evansville.
The Mountain Lions recorded their first win in seven previous meetings with IUP.
IUP took a two-point lead into the intermission at 24-22 with just six field goals in the opening half. Clarke (7-10 FT) registered 11 of IUP's first half points in his debut with Porterfield adding six more from beyond the arc.
The Hawks mustered just 17.6% shooting from the floor with Concord converting at a 25.7% clip. Despite some tough luck offensively, IUP held a lead for 18:23 over the opening 20 minutes. Porterfield opened the scoring for the Hawks with a triple, a lead the Hawks would expand to seven (13-6) with a driving basket by
Jaylen Stewart.
Concord eventually tied the score up at 20 at the foul line with IUP taking the lead right back on the next trip up the floor.
A Wooden triple pushed Concord to a 34-31 edge with 15:51 showing in the second half. IUP would regain the lead just twice (35-34 and 41-40) before the Mountain Lions held on the rest of the way. CU held its largest lead of nine with the second of two foul shots from Smith.
IUP trimmed its deficit to three points (57-54) and two points (59-57) in the final two minutes, unable to get over the top.
Friday's setback was just the 11th for IUP since 2018-19.
Up Next
IUP finishes out its opening weekend of the 2023 Hilton Garden Inn Tip-Off Classic on Saturday, November 11 against Notre Dame (Ohio) at 7:30 p.m.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP men's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.
