EDINBORO, Pa. – The IUP men's basketball team had one of its best shooting performances of the season and held off Edinboro in a wire-to-wire 75-67 victory on Saturday at the McComb Fieldhouse.
Ethan Porterfield secured a new career high, continuing a stellar stretch of games over the last several outings for IUP (16-8, 13-5). Porterfield surpassed 1,800 points in his decorated IUP career, finishing with 35 points (12-18 FG) and five rebounds.
Garvin Clarke was involved across the board once again for the Hawks, posting 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. His long three with the shot clock expiring provided IUP with enough separation to hold on for the victory.
The Hawks shot 56.9% from the floor and converted 10 three-point baskets. The shooting output is the second-highest all season, previously set on January 3 against Shepherd (.578). Edinboro (7-18, 6-13) challenged IUP throughout, unable to close the margin enough.
Leading throughout the game, IUP struggled to pull away from a pesky Edinboro squad in a back and forth matchup. The Fighting Scots continued to battle for their playoff lives, entering the weekend on the outside looking in at the conference tournament.
Bernie Blunt racked up 27 points for the Scots, entering the game as a top five scorer in the conference. Will Taylor added 12 points and seven rebounds for Edinboro, which finished 41.5% from the floor.
IUP came out of the gate scorching offensively, converting seven treys in the opening half for a 42-35 halftime margin. The Hawks shot 60.7% from the floor in the first half, but Edinboro weathered the early onslaught to get back within single digits.
Porterfield had 15 points in the opening half alone, knocking down four triples in the early going Clarke posted 11 points, five rebounds and five assists in the first half, continuing his production across the board.
Three of the opening four buckets for IUP came via Porterfield from long range as IUP opened up an 11-4 margin not even three minutes into the game. The Fighting Scots clawed back as a three from Eubank made the score 14-13.
The Hawks rattled off a 13-4 spurt in response, extending the margin back to 10 points a little more than midway through the opening half.
Josh Petteno finished off a Clarke feed in the run before Clarke drilled a triple of his own.
The IUP lead hovered around nine points before Edinboro sliced its deficit to four (31-27) on a driving basket from Will Taylor. The Hawks closed the half on a 9-5 pace and
Bryce Radford stuck with a blocked shot before beat the halftime buzzer with a jumper from the left corner.
Blunt used a personal seven-point run of his own to bring Edinboro within two at 44-42. IUP slowly regained pushed its margin back around eight points with Porterfield and Clarke leading the charge. Edinboro struggled from beyond the arc and IUP continued shooting the ball near 60% to maintain the margin.
Despite the efficient offense, IUP struggled to create separation into the second half. The Scots countered with a 10-2 run over a three-minute span, pulling within 61-58 on Jack Gallagher's first bucket of the afternoon. Porterfield reached 1,800 career points and went over the 30-point mark for the game with his sixth triple, coming with five minutes remaining in the contest.
Blunt showcased his ability as one of the top scorers in the conference consecutive triples, trimming the Edinboro deficit to 68-64. The Scots continued to battle back, trailing by just one possession with around two minutes remaining.
Clarke unleashed a long three with the shot clock expiring before
Dolan Waldo added a slick reverse layup for a quick 74-67 advantage. The Hawks closed out the game from there, winning 29 of the last 31 meetings with Edinboro.
Up Next
IUP hosts Seton Hill on Wednesday, February 21 with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff at the KCAC.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP men's basketball on X (Twitter) @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.
