INDIANA, Pa. – IUP senior guard
Bryce Radford matched the program's single-game record for three-point baskets in a contest, pouring in a new career high during a 78-48 win against Shepherd on Wednesday night at the KCAC.
Radford converted eight three-point buckets for IUP (8-5, 5-1), matching the single-game program record by John Sanow (2/18/87; Edinboro), Geoff Evans (2/3/01; Strayer) and Dante Lombardi (East Stroudsburg; 1/16/19). Radford finished with 28 points (10-15 FG) in and three rebounds in 33 minutes.
With limited practice time after joining the program in late December, Radford made his season debut on December 30 at East Stroudsburg before the almost storybook return to the KCAC on Wednesday night. Radford had recently bought a house and entered the workforce on a full-time basis before returning to the Crimson Hawks for Wednesday's improbable outing.
Not to be outshined,
Jaylen Stewart fired in new career highs with 25 points (9-14 FG) with six assists in 31 minutes. With aggressive team defense, IUP had a strong start and strong finish to post its largest margin of victory (30) on the season. Shooting 57.8% from the floor and 59.3% from beyond the arc, IUP held a 32-23 edge in rebounds.
Ethan Porterfield battled for a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, moving to sole possession of 10th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,555 career points. Wednesday's offensive performance was a far cry from the loss at ESU, mustering just 48 points on 27.4% shooting.
Shepherd received 19 points from Carson Poffenberger and 11 more for Marcus Banks. The Rams shot 34.9% for the game, trailing by double digits most of the way following an impressive win against Mercyhurst last week.
IUP started strong, opening the game on a 14-0 run with a pair of triples from Radford and another from Stewart. Radford posted a game-high 16 points (4-7 3FG) in the opening half across 17 minutes, while Stewart chipped in eight for IUP in the first half.
Another run, this one spanning 10 straight points for IUP over around five minutes, carried the hosts to a 32-13 advantage. Shepherd went cold, going over six minutes without a basket following the slow start. The Rams shot just 26.1% from the floor in the opening half, while the Hawks converted at a 52.2% clip.
Leading 34-18 at the break, the Hawks maintained a double digit lead throughout the second half. IUP canned 10 triples in the second half, including some from very long distance and as the shot clock expired.
Porterfield pushed IUP ahead by 20 (64-44) with a three at 6:17 before Radford widened the advantage to 30 (78-48) at 1:58 with a three of his own to round out the scoring. IUP finished the game on a 20-4 run over the last seven minutes to secure the comfortable victory.
Up Next
IUP begins divisional play next week, hosting Merychurst on Wednesday, January 10 from the KCAC for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
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