INDIANA, Pa. – Third-ranked IUP men's basketball looks to close out the regular season on a high note, visiting California (Pa.) on Saturday, February 25. Tipoff from the Convocation Center is set for 3:00 p.m.
IUP (26-1, 20-1) has bounced back with four consecutive victories and enter the final weekend of the regular season with the top seed in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West already locked up. The Crimson Hawks earned a bye in the conference tournament and host the PSAC Quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 1 as the top team in the latest set of NCAA DII Atlantic Region rankings.
The Hawks closed out the home portion of the regular season slate in style with a 73-60 Senior Day win against Slippery Rock on February 18. IUP utilized its trademark defense, holding SRU to 36.2% from the floor for the game.
Meanwhile,
Shawndale Jones carried the Hawks with 24 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
Tomiwa Sulaiman added another double-double behind 14 points and 13 boards, while
Dave Morris poured in 15 points.
California (15-12, 12-9) is already locked into the number four seed in the PSAC Tournament, which begins February 27. The Vulcans have won six consecutive contests heading into the weekend, most recently a 91-84 road win at Pitt-Johnstown.
The Vulcans will honor the late Bill Brown with a pregame tribute prior to tipoff. Brown passed away on February 15, serving as the winningest coach in Cal U program history during his 20-year tenure.
GAME INFORMATION – CAL U
TIPOFF NOTES
- The Hawks boast the highest winning percentage in NCAA DII basketball since 2019-20, going 87-6 (.934) overall with marks of 28-2, 33-3 and 26-1, not counting the 2020-21 season where most schools did not play.
- Jones surpassed 1,000 career points at IUP with his 20th point in the opening half against Slippery Rock. He is one of three 1,000-point scorers in the IUP lineup, joining Morris and Ethan Porterfield.
- The Hawks wrapped up the program's 12th regular season division championship in the past 13 years.
- IUP HC Joe Lombardi is 30-6 lifetime against Cal U, which includes 19 straight wins spanning back to 2013-14. IUP defeated Cal U four times last season, twice in the regular season, once in the conference tournament and once in the NCAA Tournament.
- Lombardi (394-107) continues to close in on 400 career victories at IUP, recently surpassing the 500-game milestone earlier this season.
- Dave Morris is one assist shy of tying Jim DeMark's career total of 372, good for ninth in program history. Morris enters with 371 career assists at IUP, including 89 helpers this season.
- IUP continues to lead the nation in field goal percentage defense (.381), ranking fourth nationally in scoring defense (58.8). The Hawks are also 13th in the country in steals/game (9.6), placing four student-athletes among the top 10 in the conference in steals.
- Sulaiman garnered PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week honors for the fifth time this season on Monday, marking his sixth total weekly award in 2022-23. The sophomore recorded averages of 15.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and tallied a combined six blocks and five steals in two victories for the Hawks.
- Jones dropped 31 points in the first meeting this season between IUP and Cal U, an 87-70 victory for the Hawks in late January at the KCAC. IUP asserted itself in the second half to pull away for the win.
