INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP men's basketball team never trailed and eventually ran away with a 75-58 victory on Sunday against Frostburg State in the final game of the 2023 IRMC Thanksgiving Classic.
IUP (2-3) held the lead for 38:59 of the 40-minute contest, opening up a lead as large as 23 points late in the second half. The Hawks led by 10 at the half and were challenged at times against an upstart Frostburg State (1-6) program, which got back within two points in the second half.
IUP held a 51-31 edge in rebounds and a 46-12 advantage in paint points. For the game, the Hawks shot 46.2% for the game, limiting Frostburg State to 37.3% for the afternoon.
Ethan Porterfield logged a game-high 21 points, his second 20-point scoring effort in as many days, adding seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block over 34 minutes.
Dallis Dillard racked up 17 points (6-7 FT) with a career-high seven assists and seven rebounds in 35 minutes.
IUP played up-temp in transition and held a commanding 23-5 edge in fastbreak points for the game. Despite some easy looks, IUP struggled from beyond the arc, unable to convert from deep in the second half and making just four in the contest.
Jaylen Stewart added eight points and three assists with
Garvin Clarke dishing out six assists with eight rebounds. Off the bench,
Sarp Furtun and
Damir Brooks logged seven points apiece while providing some quality relief minutes.
Robby Williams and Zane McCarty paced Frostburg State with 15 points apiece with Malcom Day adding seven rebounds off the bench for the Bobcats. FSU used a 10-2 blitz to trim its deficit back to 43-41 with 13:33 remaining in the contest.
Facing a full-court press tyle for the second consecutive day, IUP navigated things better offensively despite some struggles in the paint area over the opening 20 minutes. IUP never trailed in the first half following a fast start and finish, coupled with a game-high 14 points from
Ethan Porterfield for a 37-27 lead at the intermission.
Shooting 44.4% from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, IUP had just four turnovers against the Frostburg press, eventually swelling its lead to 16 points about midway through the stanza. Frostburg slowly chipped away, getting back within two points at 29-27 before the Hawks closed the half with the final eight points.
The Bobcats struggled from beyond the arc in the first half while IUP missed several shots along the interior. The Hawks scored the initial six points of the contest, later widening the margin to eight off a steal and fastbreak dunk from
Jaylen Stewart at the 14:16 mark.
FSU sliced its deficit to four points (12-8) on a driving basket from Koby Baptiste before the Hawks answered with a 12-point flurry, capped by a score underneath from
Callum MacNamara for a 24-8 advantage. A similar story played out over the next few minutes with Frostburg slowly chipping away before the Hawks ballooned the margin back to double figures.
Leading by two, IUP raced back in control with a 17-4 scoring surge that included some strong defensive rebounding and a barrage of fastbreak points in transition. Ahead 60-45, the Hawks remained in front comfortably, pushing the margin to as many as 22 points down the stretch. MacNamara and
Jordan Lambert rounded out the scoring for IUP, with Lambert seeing his first collegiate action and connecting twice at the foul line following a defensive rebound.
Dolan Waldo added an emphatic block over the last few minutes of the game with the Hawks ahead comfortably.
Porterfield matched his season-high with 21 points, bringing his career scoring total to 1,428 and 15th place in program history.
Up Next
IUP turns its attention to PSAC crossover play, visiting Shippensburg (5:00 p.m.) and Lock Haven (3:00 p.m.) next weekend on December 1-2.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP men's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.
