INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP men's basketball program overcame a sluggish start before holding off Point Park for a 74-64 victory on Sunday afternoon at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex (KCAC).
IUP (5-3) trailed by as many as 16 in the contest but used a key surge to close the first half before fending off multiple pushes from Point Park over the final 20 minutes. Sunday's matchup was an exhibition for the Pioneers, which moved to 10-0 and 3-0 in the River States Conference with a victory yesterday.
Garvin Clarke was close to a triple-double for the Hawks with a game-high 22 points (7-9 FT), adding nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals during a complete effort.
Dallis Dillard added 21 points and six rebounds, while
Ethan Porterfield settled in for 17 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.
PPU previously lost an exhibition contest to Robert Morris by the same scoring margin (10 points) back on November 9. The Pioneers, led by former Slippery Rock head coach Kevin Reynolds, held their own and then some on Sunday. Jo Valrie recorded a double-double for the visitors with 20 points and 10 rebounds, one of three Pioneers in double figures.
Jamisen Smith logged 14 points and Jalen Stamps finished with 11 points. PPU finished 35.1% from the floor, while IUP went 36.1% from the floor and 46.3% from beyond the arc in the second half.
IUP found its shooting touch after a sluggish first half, spurred by some intense defense to methodically chip away. The Hawks closed the opening half with a 20-3 run over the final 6:11 of the stanza, elevating its shooting percentage to 40% from the floor with some slashing transition buckets.
Part of that stretch was a run of 18 unanswered points that allowed IUP to jump ahead for the duration.
Leading 34-29 at the intermission, IUP made eight of 11 field goals following the media timeout at 7:45 to pull ahead. Point Park converted one of its final seven field goals in the first half following the under-four media timeout as IUP forced multiple one-and-done possessions.
PPU led by as many as 16 points in the opening half, coming on a pullup trey from Jalen Stamps for a 21-5 advantage a little more than midway through. The Hawks slashed the deficit to single figures before PPU answered with a spurt of its own.
A timely three from
Ethan Porterfield lifted Hawks ahead 26-24 before the hosts took control over the final three minutes. Point Park got back within two early in the second half before the Hawks stretched the advantage back to double figures again on a triple from Porterfield at 16:09.
Damir Brooks finished through contact that helped IUP get back to a double figure advantage. The Pioneers worked back within single digits with two more surges in the second half, the second of which sliced its deficit to 67-62.
IUP provided separation with a three from Dillard, which came off an offensive rebound before finishing out the game at the line. IUP held a 12-2 edge in points off turnovers, particularly effective in stretches during the first half.
Up Next
IUP is back home to continue PSAC crossover play on December 18 against Mansfield and December 19 against Bloomsburg from the KCAC.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP men's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.
