INDIANA, Pa. – In yet another back-and-forth postseason clash, IUP emerged with a hard-fought 52-50 victory against Winston-Salem State in the NCAA DII Atlantic Region First Round.
Tomiwa Sulaiman capped a stellar contest with a stickback for the final basket with around three seconds remaining.
IUP (31-1) notched its ninth overall win in a row, extending its home winning streak to 31 games. Sulaiman racked up a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds in 37 minutes with a big second half effort, while
Shawndale Jones added 11 points and four assists.
Jaylen Stewart fired in 10 points in 31 minutes, coming up with some key sequences for the Hawks. IUP moves to 36-17 in the NCAA Tournament, while head coach
Joe Lombardi moves to 10-1 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Hawks picked up 15 steals in the game, forcing 21 Winston-Salem (21-9) turnovers. IUP also had 16 foul shots, compared to just six for the Rams.
Winston-Salem held the advantage for much of the opening half and battled back to tie the game on multiple occasions down the stretch. Samage Teel dropped in 11 points and added eight rebounds with Jaylen Alston adding 10 points and six boards for the Rams.
IUP found itself playing catch up for much of the opening half as Winston-Salem used some efficient shooting near the basket. The Hawks trailed for over 14 minutes in the opening half, but took a 27-25 lead into the intermission.
The Hawks elevated their shooting percentage to 42.1% in the first half, after struggling for stretches on the offensive end.
IUP mounted an early 6-1 lead about three minutes in before the Rams recorded consecutive baskets to knot the score at six. Teel lifted the Rams ahead by two with a driving basket before Sulaiman prompted a travel heading into the game's initial media timeout at 14:55.
Off a turnover, the Rams surged ahead 17-8 after a consecutive finishes around the rim from Jaylen Alston. The Hawks were able to limit WSSU offensively, holding the Rams scoreless for about five minutes. Despite the defensive intensity, IUP got back to within 17-10 at the clock ticked down under seven minutes in the stanza.
Jaylen Stewart provided a much-needed score for IUP with a triple from the right win, slicing the deficit to 17-13.
Damir Brooks followed suit with a bucket through contact as IUP got back within three at 19-16.
IUP was able to battle back before eventually taking the lead with a 7-0 spurt, kickstarting by a Sulaiman dunk through contact. The Hawks locked down over the final several minutes of the opening half, taking the lead into the intermission.
Stewart finished a go-ahead feed from Porterfield, who recorded a block on the defensive end, for a 29-25 lead at the onset of the second half. Off a pair of offensive boards, Sulaiman converted underneath for a 36-29 IUP edge.
The Crimson Hawks continued to clamp down on the defensive side of the ball, holding a narrow lead at the under-12 media timeout. WSSU stayed within striking distance as a triple from Fennell got the Rams back within four at 40-36.
Sulaiman soared through the lane and dropped an emphatic dunk down off an underhand feed from Stewart for a 44-38 lead, which brought the energetic KCAC crowd to its feet. Both sides endured another brief scoring drought with under seven minutes remaining in the second half as IUP held onto a 44-41 advantage.
The Rams kept right with IUP, hanging around with timely treys and countering any momentum the hosts seemed to build. Alston leveled the score at 46 with a layin along the left block with 2:56 left.
IUP went through another scoreless drought, spanning over four minutes with the score even at 48. Sulaiman drove in along the right block for a clutch basket, pushing the Hawks back in front at 48-46. Teel stuck a jumper that knotted the score at 50 in a back and forth NCAA Tournament clash.
Up Next
IUP takes on the winner of Fairmont State and Virginia Union on Sunday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.
