GREENSBURG, Pa. – The top-ranked IUP men's basketball team used strong starts at the beginning of each half, knocking off Seton Hill in a 75-52 victory on Wednesday night.
IUP (21-0, 15-0) was led by a stellar 30-point outing from
Shawndale Jones (10-16 FG), adding five rebounds and three steals.
Dave Morris started the game off hot, finishing with 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Dallis Dillard and
Tomiwa Sulaiman logged eight points each as nine different Hawks recorded a point in the victory.
While the offense was balanced aside from Jones, the Hawks used their trademark defense to stay unbeaten on Wednesday. IUP held Seton Hill (12-9, 7-8) to just 31.6% shooting from the floor and only six field goals in the second half. Samuel Tabe posted 16 points, while Gabe Gillespe added 13 points (5-7) in 18 minutes for the Griffins.
The Hawks opened a big lead before SHU responded back in the first half. IUP regained the advantage heading into halftime and used a quick start in the second half to pull away for good. IUP collected 21 points of turnovers.
IUP opened the game with efficient offense, spreading the wealth with early triples from Morris and Jones, along with hoops from
Ethan Porterfield and Jones for a 13-0 lead early. The Griffins closed the gap with a 11-0 run, bringing the deficit to 16-14 with under 12 minutes left in the opening half.
Dallis Dillard converted a much-needed three to expand the advantage back to 19-14 and end a scoreless stretch for the Hawks. Drew Green banked in a triple, leveling the score at 19 before Jones reached double figures with a floater on the next possession.
Tabe drove inside with a transition basket, lifting the Griffins in front at 23-21 for their first advantage of the night. Tabe picked up his third foul of the night on the offensive end of the floor with a charge at the 6:40 mark of the half.
Off a series of offensive rebounds, including two from
Damir Brooks, Jones converted a stickback through contact with 3:45 left in the half.
Tomiwa Sulaiman lifted the Hawks back in front with an and-one layup for a 28-26 edge. Brooks finished off a feed from Sulaiman, who snagged a steal on the defensive end moments prior, to set up a 32-26 lead for the Hawks.
Jaylen Stewart made a strong play on defense, racing ahead for a basket with under 30 seconds left in the first half, which gave IUP a 34-29 lead heading into the intermission. Jones had 15 first-half points for the Hawks, who shot 38.7% from the floor in the stanza.
SHU had a balanced first half scoring effort, battling back from an early 13-point deficit. IUP started the second half much like the first, using a 10-0 scoring spurt that carried over from the first half to gain some separation at 42-29. Jones had two triples in the sequence and Sulaiman added a putback dunk.
From there, IUP slowed the pace down with a deliberate approach on offense. Dillard drilled a three from the right wing for a 47-33 lead and the Hawks continued to use stops on the defensive end to fuel their offense. Sulaiman added his second dunk of the night, handing the Hawks their largest lead of the night at 17 points at 53-36.
Morris spotted up for a triple, which pushed the lead to 20 points as Seton Hill went scoreless for over two minutes midway through the second. The Hawks maintained the advantage, contesting on the defensive end which resulted in cold shooting for the Griffins. Jones reached the 30-point plateau at the foul line, which kept IUP ahead comfortably with less than five minutes remaining.
KJ Rhodes entered and got into he scoring column with a putback as time continued melting away in the contest.
Ousmane Diop also made his presence felt with a three blocks in just about two minutes of action.
Callum MacNamara entered with a slick putback as the Crimson Hawks received contributions throughout the lineup.
Up Next
IUP hosts Gannon on Saturday, February 4 at the KCAC for Faith Night. Tipoff is set for 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.
