INDIANA, Pa. – IUP held off a second half push from visiting Notre Dame (Ohio), posting a hard-fought 75-67 victory to finish out the 2023 Hilton Garden Inn Tip-Off Classic on Saturday night at the KCAC.
IUP (1-1) found a shooting touch down the stretch despite a cold spell in the second half, bouncing back with a victory. IUP shot 38.3% for the game and placed four scorers in double figures. Meanwhile, Notre Dame (Ohio) (1-1) erased a double-digit deficit in the second half down to one point around the midway point of the half.
Despite a push from the Falcons, IUP never trailed in the second half.
Ethan Porterfield posted a double-double of 21 points (7-16 FG) and 11 rebounds, adding four assists and two blocks over 36 minutes of action. Porterfield registered 14 of those points in the second half, while
Josh Petteno poured in 12 points in the second half on 3-of-6 three-point shooting.
Garvin Clarke again guided the offense with an all-around effort of 14 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Hawks.
Andre Harris posted 20 points to pace the Falcons, one of three in double figures. Overall, NDC shot 31.1% from the floor, going 25.9% from three. IUP took a 41-30 lead at the intermission after an efficient first half and some stout defense.
Dallis Dillard led all first half scorers with 13 points for IUP, which went 45.2% from the floor and 40% from three in the opening 20 minutes.
Leading for about 15 minutes in the first half, IUP shared the ball well with 11 assists on 14 field goals.
Porterfield leveled the score at eight with a jumper at 15:41 before Dillard slashed in for a lay-in and a four-point advantage at 21-17. The bucket was part of an 8-0 spurt for IUP that spanned over four minutes.
NDC shot under 20% over the final seven minutes of the opening half as IUP widened the margin to double figures at the intermission.
The Falcons had IUP on the ropes, using a 12-0 run to get back within one point (49-48) coming out of the under 12 media timeout. The Hawks countered with a 10-3 run, keyed by a Porterfield triple at 8:49 for a 58-51 lead. The Falcons chipped the deficit back to within three before IUP sealed the game with an 11-4 run to finish out the half.
The Hawks held a slight 50-46 edge in rebounding, but collected some timely boards down the stretch. IUP is now 102-12 in its last 114 home contests.
Up Next
IUP welcomes a talented Walsh squad to the KCAC on Thursday, November 16 at 8:00 p.m.
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