INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP men's basketball team took control in the second half during a 66-54 victory against Mercyhurst in the team's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West opener at the KCAC.
 
IUP (9-4, 6-1) found its shooting touch in the second half while forcing 19 turnovers on the night. IUP limited Mercyhurst (8-8, 4-4) to 36.0% shooting from the floor in the second half and used a decisive 16-0 run to seize control.
 
The Crimson Hawks logged 24 points off those 19 Mercyhurst turnovers and owned a 14-2 edge in fastbreak points. Bryce Radford matched a game-high 18 points in 38 minutes for IUP, which shot 64% from the floor over the final 20 minutes.
 
Ethan Porterfield posted 15 points, including 10 after halftime, adding six rebounds. Porterfield continues climbing up the IUP all-time scoring list, moving into sole possession of ninth place with 1,570 career points and surpassing Jack Crossan (1,564).
 
Garvin Clarke logged 13 points (5-5 FT) with six rebounds and three assists in his return to the IUP lineup for the first time in the new year. Jaylen Stewart continued his strong stretch of play with 12 points and a game-high five assists.
 
Aidan Reichert posted 18 points (8-11 FG) and four assists for the visiting Lakers with Jeff Planutis adding 15 points over 36 minutes. Outscoring Mercyhurst 38-23 in the second half, the Hawks employed an press defense that helped slow down an already methodical Laker offense. Damir Brooks anchored the top of that press defense for IUP, chipping in on a strong overall defensive effort.
 
The first half was defensive battle that mimicked many previous matchups between the two sides over the years. Mercyhurst took a 31-29 lead into the locker room, playing efficiently with limited attempts. With a methodical pace at times, the Lakers remained in front by a slim margin for much of the first half, shooting 61.9% from the floor.
 
Clarke logged nine first half points to pace IUP, while Mercyhurst did much of its damage along the interior. Neither side led by more than two possessions in the first half as IUP worked the score tied at 24 with a triple from the right corner.
 
The Lakers countered with consecutive baskets for a five-point edge at 31-26 before Clarke trimmed the deficit to 31-28 at the intermission. The IUP defense forced three shot clock violations in the first half with the Lakers holding the slim margin.
 
IUP flipped the momentum in the second half with a 16-0 run that turned a six-point deficit into a 13-point lead. Radford kickstarted the big surge for IUP, finishing off a Porterfield kickout feed at 15:56. It was one of four treys for Radford, who has logged a combined 46 points over the last two games for the Crimson Hawks.
 
Porterfield added a three of his own off a steal at the 15:30 mark before positioning himself on the defensive end and cutting off a Sean Lang feed. Porterfield drove down the left side in transition before finding a slashing Clarke for an alley-oop basket and a 41-39 edge the Hawks would not relinquish.
 
IUP eventually widened its margin to double figures in the blitz, including a six-point personal run from Stewart for a 49-39 advantage. The Lakers chipped away back to single digits on a few occasions before an and-one bucket and foul shot from Porterfield carried IUP to a double figure lead the rest of the way.
 
Notes
Mercyhurst mustered just one field goal over its final five attempts over the last 3:56 of the game… IUP pushed its record to 45-3 in the month of January since 2017-18… IUP HC Joe Lombardi moves to 25-13 lifetime against Mercyhurst… Wednesday's matchup was a rematch of the 2023 PSAC Championship game, contested at Shippensburg… IUP entered the game third in the league and 27th nationally in scoring defense, holding Mercyhurst to 54 points on the night… The combination of Planutis and Reichert accounted for over 60% of Mercyhurst's total scoring output… Clarke posted three steals on the night for IUP, his fourth straight game with three of more… IUP has won 45 of its last 50 home games, now 183-23 at the KCAC since the venue opened… With five three-point baskets in the second half, IUP finished 8-for-21 from beyond the arc.
 
Up Next
IUP visits No. 20/20 Gannon for a road matchup in Erie on Saturday, January 13 at 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.
   

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