INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP men's basketball team is back in action following the regular season, hosting Mercyhurst in the PSAC Tournament First Round on Monday, March 4. Tipoff from the KCAC is set for 7:00 p.m.
 
The matchup pits the fourth-seeded Hawks against the five seed Mercyhurst in a rematch of last season's PSAC Championship Game. The winner of Monday's matchup heads to top-seeded Gannon for the PSAC Quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m.
 
Live video coverage will be provided on the PSAC Digital Network, along with live audio on U92.5FM with the Voice of the Hawks, Jack Benedict.
 
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
(PSAC #4) IUP (16-12, 13-9 PSAC) vs. (PSAC #5) Mercyhurst (15-15, 11-11 PSAC)    
Monday, March 4 – 7:00 p.m. – KCAC – Indiana, Pa. – PSAC Tournament First Round       
Game Coverage: Live Video (PSAC Digital Network) – Live Stats – Live Audio (U92.5FM)
Social Media Updates: @IUP_MBB on X (formerly Twitter)
 
2024 PSAC TOURNAMENT
Standings | Championship Central
 
TIPOFF NEWS AND NOTES

• IUP is making its 38th all-time PSAC tournament appearance and 16th straight since 2008.
• IUP is 48-24 (.666) all-time in PSAC tournament games dating back to 1960. The program has won 13 conference tournament championships, including seven under HC Joe Lombardi (2010, 2011, 2013, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023).
• IUP is 28-7 in home PSAC tournament games, including 15-3 at the Kovalchick Complex.
• Overall, IUP has won 12 straight PSAC Tournament games during its stretch of four consecutive conference titles.
• The Crimson Hawks clinched a playoff berth with several weeks remaining in the regular season, but enter the conference tournament with four straight losses. Among those losses is last Saturday's 62-59 setback to Clarion on Senior Day.
• Clarion snapped a 25-game losing streak to IUP with the victory last weekend. It marked IUP's seventh loss at the KCAC this season, the most in a single year since the building opened in 2011-12.
• Ethan Porterfield has won 111 games in his collegiate career, set to make his 129th career appearance on Monday. Porterfield was named to the Trevor Hudgins Top 15 Watch List last week, a career award presented to the player with the best four-year (or five-year) tenure at the Small College Basketball level.
• Garvin Clarke racked up 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 40 minutes against Clarion.
• Clarke is the only player in NCAA DII to average at least 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists, ranking 25th nationally in assists, 6th in the conference in scoring and sixth in the league in rebounding.
• Porterfield ranks eighth among active DII men's basketball players in career scoring (1.871) and sixth in rebounding (869).
• Porterfield is one block shy of moving into sole possession of second place in program history with 163.
• IUP HC Joe Lombardi is 25-14 lifetime against Mercyhurst. The teams split the regular season series this season, each winning at home.
• The Hawks dropped a double OT decision at Mercyhurst back on February 7. Last season, IUP held on for a 54-53 win in the 2023 PSAC Championship game against the Lakers (played at Shippensburg).
• KJ Rhodes registered a career high 18 points (6-14 3FG) at Mercyhurst in the double overtime setback, one of four players in double figures for the Hawks. Both Porterfield and Clarke played all 50 minutes of the game up in Erie.

MERCYHURST AT A GLANCE

• Mercyhurst finished the regular season 15-15 overall while holding a mark of 11 in the PSAC to help them to the fifth seed in the conference.
• The Lakers ended the season with consecutive victories, including a 69-51 home win against Slippery Rock on March 2.
• Jeff Planutis currently leads the team in points per game with 17.4 with that mark being good enough to be tied for ninth in the PSAC. Planutis' contributions go beyond his scoring ability as he is also first in steals per game (1.6) and blocks per game (0.4).
• Planutis poured in 35 points against the Crimson Hawks in the last meeting between the two squads, part of a double OT win for Mercyhurst in February.
• Head coach Gary Manchel is in his 30th season overall as a head coach, including 21 seasons at Mercyhurst (373-218).

 
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HOME COURT ADVANTAGE 

• Since the KCAC opened in the 2011-12 season, IUP has had an outstanding home court advantage to go along with a nationally prominent basketball program.
• Despite seven setbacks this season, IUP boasts a 186-27 (.873) mark in home games since the venue opened, including postseason games.
• IUP has not lost more than seven games at the KCAC in a season since the building opened.
• At the KCAC, the IUP men have won:
  • 17 of 18 games in 2022-2023 (17-1; lone loss in Atlantic Region Championship) 
  • 48 of their last 57 (48-9) 
  • 64 of their last 73 (64-9) 
  • 83 or their last 94 (83-11)
  • 95 of their last 110 (95-15)
  • 111 of their last 129 (111-18)

 
THAT'S A LOT OF WINS!

• Since the 2018-19 season, IUP has gone 139-22 (.863) overall during full playing seasons.
• Entering the season, only 11 DII men's basketball programs have posted at least 100 wins in the four-year span from 2018-19 to 2022-23 (excluding 2020-21).
• IUP went 32-2 last season, marking the team's fifth 30-win since 2009-10, the most of any team in the PSAC.

 
THE REIGNING, DEFENDING PSAC CHAMPIONS

• IUP won its fourth consecutive PSAC Championship with a 54-53 win against Mercyhurst at Shippensburg on March 5, 2023.
• It marked the 13th PSAC Tournament championship in program history and is seventh conference title under HC Joe Lombardi, the most among active PSAC coaches and the second most in conference history.
• IUP's 13 titles are second behind Cheyney's 15.
• Ethan Porterfield was named the PSAC Tournament MVP for the second consecutive season, helping the carry the Hawks to victory throughout the conference tournament.

 
CLARKE CARVING UP THE OPPOSITION  

• Stepping in as the team's starting point guard after transferring in from Akron, Garvin Clarke returned from a two-game absence on January 10. The PSAC West Player of the Week on December 11 and January 22, Clarke is fourth in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (+2.09).  
• Clarke has been a primary distributor for the Hawks, but has also taken more of a role in scoring the basketball, moving to sixth in the league in points/game (18.8).
• He leads the league in assists/game (5.5) and ranks fourth in steals/game (2.0), passing out a career-high nine helpers in an all-around effort against Mansfield on December 18, 2023.  
• Clarke helped guide IUP to a road win at UPJ with 27 points (11-22 FG), 10 rebounds, three assists and five steals in 40 minutes on January 17, 2024. He followed it up with another career scoring effort, notching 30 points (10-15 FG), four rebounds, six assists and two steals in 40 minutes against Edinboro in the first meeting between the teams.
• His 30 points at Slippery Rock matched his career high in another strong all-around outing.

 
RADFORD ENJOYING STORYBOOK RETURN TO INDIANA

• Bryce Radford returned to IUP in December 2023, playing with the program from 2020-22. He played the 2022-23 season at WVU tech and was not playing basketball as a full-time employee prior to rejoining the squad a few weeks ago.
• Radford made a big impact in his return to the KCAC, tying the school record with eight three-point field goals in a 78-48 win against Shepherd on January 3, 2024. He later set the school record for three-point baskets in a game, converting nine times from beyond the arc against Slippery Rock on January 27.
• The Beckley, W.Va. native has converted at least four triples seven times this season with the Crimson Hawks.
• Radford was part of the 2021-22 NCAA DII Final Four team that won the PSAC and Atlantic Region crowns with a 33-3 overall record.

 
STEWEY STEPPING IN SEAMLESSLY FOR IUP

• Jaylen Stewart, a transfer from Seton Hill, has taken on a larger role and emerged as a viable starting guard for the Crimson Hawks this season.
• Stewart is averaging just under 10 points/game this season, also third on the team with 50 assists. He handed out nine assists against his former school last time out on February 21 at the KCAC.
• Stewart started in 20 conference games for IUP this season, averaging over 30 minutes/contest in that stretch.
• He fired in a career-high 25 points against Shepherd on January 3, playing at least 30 minutes in the last 10 outings.

LOMBARDI AMONG THE ELITE COACHES IN ALL OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL

• Now in his 42nd 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 18th season at the helm of the Crimson Hawks, Lombardi is the program's all-time leader in wins (416-120) 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 fifth among NCAA DII active head coaches in winning percentage (.776) 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.

 
NCAA Division II Active Head Coach Winning Percentage (min. 10 years' experience)
1. .861 – Jim Crutchfield (West Liberty/Nova Southeastern) (519-84, 18 yrs)
2. .814 -- Tom Brown (West Texas A&M) (262-60, 10 yrs)
3. .812 – Ben McCollum (Northwest Missouri State) (389-90, 14 yrs)
4. .783 – Bob Bolen (Glenville State (501-139, 20 yrs)
5. .776  – Joe Lombardi (IUP) (416-120, 18 yrs)
6. .759 – Jeff Young (Walsh) (457-145, 21 yrs)
 
PSAC Men's Basketball All-Time Coaching Victories
Note: Accounts for victories while coaching at a PSAC school only; UPJ transitioned from the WVIAC to the PSAC but all wins are reflected
1. 559 – Charles Chronister (Bloomsburg; 1972-2002)
2. 554 – Bob Rukavina (Pitt-Johnstown; 1989-Present) *
3. 416—Joe Lombardi (IUP; 2006-Present) *
4. 412 – Greg Walcavich (Edinboro; 1990-2012)
5. 405 – Jeff Wilson (East Stroudsburg; 2002-Present) *
6. 370 – Dick Delaney (West Chester; 1987-2008)
 
PORTERFIELD AMONG THE TOP PLAYERS IN PROGRAM HISTORY

• Ethan Porterfield is the most experienced starter on the IUP roster and has been a key contributor during the recent run of success the last few seasons. The two-time reigning conference tournament MVP, Porterfield has won 111 collegiate games during his tenure with the Hawks.
• Porterfield has been named to different watch lists this season, earning a spot on the Bevo Francis Top 100, Top 50 and the Trevor Hudgins Top 25 and Top 15 (top four-year career).
• Porterfield reached 1,500 career points during IUP's win against Mansfield on December 18. He is one of just four players in program history with at least 1,500 points and 700 rebounds.
• This season, Porterfield ranks near the top of the PSAC in several statistical areas, including: points per game (5th; 19.2), rebounds per game (3rd; 8.6), double-doubles (2nd; 10), minutes/game (4th; 37:04) and total three-point field goals made (5th; 67).
• Now in his fourth season as a full-time starter, Porterfield has battled past injury and illness over the last few months to put together a storied career with the Crimson Hawks. He is among the top 15 in program history in several categories, including points (2nd), field goals made (2nd), three-point field goals made (6th), rebounds (5th) and blocks (3rd) and games played (4th).

RECORD BOOK WATCH
Career Points
1. 1,949 – Darryl Webb (2007-11)
2. 1,871 – Ethan Porterfield (2019-Pres)
3. 1,747 – Jacobo Diaz (2015-19)
4. 1,715 – Robert Misenko (1992-96)
5. 1,678 – Brandon Norfleet (2012-16*)
 
Career Field Goals Made
1. 708 – Darryl Webb (2007-11)
2. 700 -- Ethan Porterfield (2019-Pres)
3. 661 – Derrick Freeman (1993-96)
4. 653 – Jack Crossan (1952-56)
5. 651 – Jacobo Diaz (2015-19)
6. 585 – Sam Scott (1977-82)
7. 578 – Gary Lupek (1966-69)
T8. 572 – Randy Allen (1971-74); 572 – Eddie Peterson (2002-06)

Career Three-Point Field Goals Made
5. 229 – Anthony Glover Jr. (2015-18)
6. 227 -- Ethan Porterfield (2019-Pres)
7. 200 – Malik Miller (2016-20)
8. 195 -- Geoff Evans (1998-01)
9. 187 -- Aaron Faulkner (1999-02)
10. 181 -- Eddie Peterson (2002-06)
11. 164 -- Devante Chance (2011-15)
 
Career Rebounds
1. 1,214 – Darryl Webb (2007-11)
2. 1,015 – Jacobo Diaz (2015-19)
3. 881 – Garry Lupek (1966-69)
4. 877 – Lee McCollough (1968-71)
5. 869 -- Ethan Porterfield (2019-Present)
6. 826 – Robert Misenko (1992-96)
7. 738 – Sam Scott (1977-82)

Career Blocks
1. 207 -- Devon Cottrell (2012-17)
2. 162 -- Darryl Webb (2007-11); Ethan Porterfield (2019-Pres)
 
Career Games Played
2. 133 – Devon Cottrell (2012-17)
3. 130 – Dave Morris (2018-23; includes 28 games at Tennessee State)
4. 128 -- Ethan Porterfield (2019-Pres)
5. 127 -- Ashton Smith (2008-12); Devante Chance (2011-15)
7. 126 – Darryl Webb (2007-11)
8. 124 – Julian Sanders (2008-12); Jacobo Diaz (2015-19)
 
Three-Pointers Made (Game)
1. 9 – Bryce Radford; Slippery Rock (1/27/24)
T2. 8 -- John Sanow; Edinboro (2/18/87)
T2. 8 -- Geoff Evans; Strayer (2/3/01)
T2. 8 -- Dante Lombardi; E. Stroudsburg (1/16/19)
T2. 8 – Bryce Radford; Shepherd (1/3/24)
 
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP men's basketball on X (Twitter) @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB. 
 

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