INDIANA, Pa. -- The IUP men's basketball program travels to Millersville to face off against the Marauders on Saturday, with tipoff set for 3:00 PM inside the Pucillo Gymnasium.

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
IUP (6-5, 3-2 PSAC) at Millersville (6-5, 2-2 PSAC)
Saturday, December 21 - 3:00 PM - Pucillo Gymnasium - Millersville, Pa.
Media Coverage: Live Video (PSAC Digital Network) – Live Stats (Stat Broadcast)
Social Media Updates: @IUP_MBB on X (formerly Twitter)

COMING UP 
IUP vs. Thiel
Thursday, January 2 - 7:30 PM - KCAC - Indiana, Pa. 

IUP TIPOFF NOTES
>> Redshirt junior guard Damir Brooks was awarded PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week on December 2.
>> The Hawks are currently averaging 72.6 PPG, 38.3 RPG, 11.1 APG, 6.6 SPG, and 3.4 BPG. 
>> IUP is shooting .435 from the field and .306 beyond the arc.
>> Top shooters for the Hawks are Damir Brooks (.602 FG), Ian Herring (.524 FG), and Kymani Merraro (.437 FG).
>> Kymani Merraro is solid from the free throw line, shooting .766 from 64 attempts.
>> Consistent starters for the Hawks have been Moore, Merraro, Tyler Grove, and Brooks. Three players rank in the PSAC top 25 in minutes per game. Moore ranks second averaging 35.5 MPG, Merraro ranks ninth with 32.9 MPG, and Brooks wraps up the top 20 in 18th place with 31.2 MPG.
>> Sophomore Sarp Furton has started nine of the 11 games this season, averaging 27.8 minutes per game. In the past three games, he has grabbed seven rebounds and four steals. 
>> Freshman Tyler Grove has started all 11 games and is averaging 29.8 minutes per game. Through the 11 games, he has shot .393 from the field and .283 beyond the arc. Grove has grabbed 27 defensive rebounds and is averaging 4.6 RPG.
>> Freshman Ian Herring is also making an impact for the Hawks. He has posted at least one steal in each of the past six games, totaling nine of his 15 total in the past four games.
>> This will be the team's 26th overall matchup with IUP claiming the past 11. IUP leads the series with 19 wins and has six losses against Millersville. 
>> The last time the teams met was in December of 2022, the Hawks defeated the Marauders by a 31 points margin, 76-45. 
>> Drew Stover is the lead scorer for the Marauders averaging 19.3 PPG and has started all 11 games this season. He is shooting .697 from the field, .606 at the free throw line, is averaging 6.9 RPG, and 2.5 APG. He has totaled 12 steals and 17 blocks so far this season. 

MILLERSVILLE AT A GLANCE
Millersville's overall record is 6-5 and 2-2 in the PSAC. They opened the season 3-0 and 4-5 in nonconference action. They won just two of their last six games against Slippery Rock 72-52, and Pitt-Johnstown, 96-72. Their most recent matchup was at Clarion where they fell 80-71 after a slow first half. The Marauders are averaging 84.2 PPG, .489 FG, 39.4 RPG, 15.9 APG, 8.5 SPG, and 4.1 BPG. 

Drew Stover is the lead scorer for the Marauders averaging 19.3 PPG and has started all 11 games this season. He is shooting .697 from the field, .606 at the free throw line, is averaging 6.9 RPG, and 2.5 APG. He has totaled 12 steals and 17 blocks so far this season. Montel Cooper stands with Stover as the lone two players who have started all 11 games this season. He leads the team with 19 steals, marking four twice this season against both UPJ and SRU. Cooper is also second on the team with seven blocks. He averages 2.6 APG, 5.3 RPG, 12.0 PPG, and is shooting. 523 from the field and .789 from the free throw line.

SERIES HISTORY
This will be the team's 26th overall matchup with IUP claiming the past 11. IUP leads the series with 19 wins and has six losses against Millersville. The last time the teams met was in December of 2022, the Hawks defeated the Marauders by a 31 points margin, 76-45. Damir Brooks saw 10 minutes of action in that game and scored six points, grabbed one rebound, assist, steals, and two blocks. The Hawks defeated Millersville in the 2022 PSAC Championship game, 63-52.

STANDOUT MOORE
Christian Moore, a transfer from New Hampshire, has led the team in scoring on five occasions, all above 20 points. His highest-scoring game came against Tiffin where he scored 26 points, shot .571% from the field, and made four three-pointers. Moore is averaging 35.5 minutes per game, 3.6 RPG, 19.0 PPG, and has tallied 17 steals with five coming against Lock Haven. Moore ranks in the PSAC top 25 in multiple categories including a third-place rank in three-pointers made per game (3.0) and second in the PSAC for minutes per game (35.5).

BROOKS NAMED PSAC WEST DEF. ATH. OF THE WEEK
Redshirt junior guard Damir Brooks was awarded PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week on December 2 for his defensive efforts against Lincoln. Brooks posted his third double-double this season with 12 rebounds and 10 points. His 12 rebounds marked a career high for him along with matching his personal best of three blocks. He also added an assist and steal playing 30 minutes. 

Brooks has also been climbing the rankings among the PSAC, currently ranked fifth in rebounds per game (8.5) and third in blocks per game (1.5).

MERRARO ON THE RISE
Freshman Merraro has had a hot start to his collegiate career. He has scored 15 points or more in five games, including his high of 21 points against USC Beaufort. He currently averages 13.7 PPG, 4.1 APG, 4.3 RPG, has grabbed 12 steals, and is shooting .437 from the field. With his free throw percentage, he ranks 21st in PSAC (.766) and is seventh with 45 assists.

DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS
Blocks: Brooks (17), Furton (5), Grove (5), Triggs (5), Herring (3), Moore (2)
Steals: Moore (17), Brooks (13), Herring (15), Merraro (12), Furton (8), Grove (4), Triggs (3), Pickens (1)

LOMBARDI AMONG TOP COACHES IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Now in his 43rd overall season as a college coach, Joe Lombardi has been a central figure in elevating the IUP men's basketball program into one of the nation's best. Coaching his 19th season at the helm of the Crimson Hawks, Lombardi is the program's all-time leader in wins (422-126) with 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, seven PSAC tournament titles (2010, 2011, 2013, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023), three Atlantic Region Championships (2010, 2015, 2022) and two Division II National Championship Game appearances (2010, 2015). He is one of four coaches in PSAC men's basketball history to reach at least 400 career wins, ranking third on the conference's all-time wins list. Lombardi ranks third among NCAA DII active head coaches in winning percentage (.770) with at least 10 years of experience and in the top 20 among all-time among all NCAA divisions in winning percentage with at least 10 years of experience.

Follow 
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP men's basketball on X (Twitter) @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.