SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Top-seeded IUP men's basketball led most of the way and needed one final defensive stand as time expired, holding off Mercyhurst for a 54-53 victory to capture the program's fourth consecutive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship on Sunday at Shippensburg University.
IUP (30-1) secures its 13th conference championship in program history, clinching an automatic berth into the 2023 NCAA DII Tournament, which begins late next week.
Ethan Porterfield was named tournament MVP, finishing the championship game with 19 points (9-11 FG), four rebounds and two assists in leading the Crimson Hawks throughout the weekend.
It marks the second consecutive year that Porterfield was awarded PSAC Tournament MVP, tallying 38 points over the course of two games this weekend.
Mercyhurst (24-5) had a potential game-winning three from Michael Bradley carom off the rim with time expiring despite battling back throughout the second half and staying within striking distance. Nicholas Lang finished with 16 points and five steals, while Bradley added 13 points for the Lakers.
The Hawks led for over 34 minutes in the contest, shooting 48.9% for the game.
Dave Morris and
Shawndale Jones fired in 12 points each, while
Tomiwa Sulaiman recorded a double-double behind 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Head coach
Joe Lombardi secures his seventh PSAC Championship and fifth 30-win season at the helm of the Crimson Hawks with Sunday's victory. The Hawks have gone 46-5 in February and March games over the last four full seasons, and await their fate for a potential chance to host the Atlantic Region Tournament once again.
IUP shot 60% from floor, despite taking nine less shots than Mercyhurst in the opening half. Porterfield logged 10 points and added two boards, while Jones registered eight first-half points. Sulaiman snagged eight rebounds in the initial 20 minutes for the Hawks.
Porterfield picked up early where he left off on Saturday, working free inside for a 6-4 advantage at the game's first media timeout. The Hawks converted three of their first five shot attempts from the floor, while Sulaiman collected five rebounds over the initial five minutes of the contest.
Porterfield posted six of the Hawks' opening eight points before Mercyhurst converted. Morris slashed in the lane, converting through contact at 12:59 for an 11-6 IUP margin. The offense continued to flow through Porterfield, who converted along the left block and dished out of a double team to Morris for a three and a 16-12 advantage at 8:49.
Consecutive buckets for the Lakers brought the score tied at 16 before Jones responded with a basket through contact at the 7:08 mark. IUP benefitted from a much better start offensively, shooting 62% from the field about 13 minutes into the championship matchup.
Porterfield reach double figures with a slick layup as IUP maintained a slim lead with under six minutes in the opening half. Jones canned his second and-one of the opening stanza, this time drawing contact on a jumper from the right wing, pushing the Hawks to a 26-20 lead with 3:58 in the first half.
The IUP advantage hovered around five points, remaining efficient on the offensive end and taking a 30-23 at the intermission. The teams traded scores early in the second half before the teams later cooled off for the next few minutes. Mercyhurst trimmed its deficit back to two points on a pair of triples from Bradley, later tying the game at 37 after a surge.
Porterfield notched another timely bucket off a feed from Jones for a 39-37 IUP lead as the Hawks weathered a storm from the Lakers near the 13-minute mark of the second half. The Lakers stayed right with IUP as Bradley splashed a triple from the left wing but Porterfield had an answer yet again, converting a stepback jumper for a 45-40 IUP lead.
Morris stuck a three from the left corner, pushing IUP to its largest lead of the game at 48-41. The Lakers did not go quietly with Lang knocking down a three of his own, working the Laker deficit to 50-46 with 6:50 left. Again, the Sulaiman to Porterfield connection paid dividends with another important basket to hand some of the momentum back in favor of the Crimson Hawks.
Lang converted yet again from deep, slicing the IUP advantage to 54-51 in a back and forth affair. With each push Mercyhurst had, IUP countered with a response to remain ahead slightly. The Lakers reeled off a 7-0 run and clamped down on defense, prompting consecutive shot clock violations for IUP, eventually getting back within one point at 54-53.
The Hawks slowed the pace with about one minute remaining, pulling in several offensive rebounds while unable to widen the margin. Mercyhurst had possession, down by one, with 2.3 seconds remaining. The final attempt did not go, marking the second potential game-winning shot to rim out in as many days for IUP.
Jones moved into 11th on IUP's single-season scoring list with his 12 points on Sunday, brining him to 599 on the season.
Up Next
IUP will continue its season in the NCAA DII Atlantic Region Tournament.
The selection show takes place on Sunday, March 5 at 11:00 p.m. IUP was ranked atop the last set of regional rankings and is essentially a lock to be the top seed in the Atlantic Region.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP men's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.
