INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP men's basketball team got back on the right track with a determined defensive effort, knocking off Mercyhurst in a 69-54 victory in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament First Round on Monday night.
Making its 16th straight conference tournament appearance, IUP (17-12) advances to the PSAC Quarterfinals on Wednesday night against top-seeded Gannon. The Hawks snapped a four-game losing streak, keyed by a strong defensive stretch that limited Mercyhurst (15-16) without a field goal for over nine minutes in the first half.
Ethan Porterfield posted his 97th career game in double figures, firing in 29 points and six rebounds in 37 minutes. He added a block, moving to sole possession of second place in program history at 163.
Porterfield pushes his career total to 1,900 points, now 49 points shy of matching IUP great Darryl Webb (1,949) for first in program history. Porterfield was one of four Crimson Hawks in double figures with balanced scoring distribution.
The Crimson Hawks extended their winning streak in the PSAC Tournament to 13 games, moving to 49-24 overall. Head coach
Joe Lombardi improves his conference tournament record 28-8 in a rematch of last season's PSAC Championship game.
IUP shot 60.9% in the second half, holding the lead for over 37 minutes of the contest.
Bryce Radford logged 13 points (3-6 3FG), while
Jaylen Stewart and
KJ Rhodes posted 10 points each.
Mercyhurst (15-16) got a team-high 16 points from Jeff Planutis, with Luke Triggs adding 11 points off the bench. The Lakers, which shot just 33.3% from the floor, trimmed their deficit down to four points early in the second half. IUP countered back with a three from Radford and quickly worked the margin back to double figures.
Garvin Clarke had just two points and facilitated the offense with seven assists and seven boards.
Josh Petteno chipped in three points, nine rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes off the bench.
IUP locked down defensively for large stretches of the first half, holding Mercyhurst without a field goal for around 10 minutes while expanding the lead. Mercyhurst shot 25.0% in the first half, making just seven field goals.
The Crimson Hawks shot at a 46.2% clip in the first half, getting balanced scoring in the opening stanza. Porterfield dropped in 15 points in the first half, while Stewart provided a spark with eight points in 18 minutes.
The Lakers went from 14:42 to 5:06 without a field goal. Rhodes battled through contact for a three-point play, expanding the margin to 30-19.
The Crimson Hawks answered a final Mercyhurst push, moving back ahead by 10 on a jumper from Porterfield at the 13-minute mark. An 11-4 surge pushed the Hawks ahead 54-38, capped by another timely trey from Radford.
Mercyhurst did not threaten the rest of the way as IUP worked in other members of the lineup, allowing the trio of Porterfield, Radford and Rhodes to receive a well-deserved ovation from the home crowd.
Up Next
IUP heads to top-seeded Gannon for the PSAC Quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP men's basketball on X (Twitter) @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.
