INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP men's basketball program looks to end their current three game losing skid on the road against Seton Hill on Wednesday, February 19. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Katherine Mabis McKenna Center. 

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
IUP (11-13, 6-10 PSAC) vs. Seton Hill (14-10, 7-9 PSAC)
Wednesday, February 19 - 7:30 PM - Katherine Mabis McKenna Center- Greensburg, Pa.
Social Media Updates: @IUP_MBB on X (formerly Twitter)
Media Coverage: Live Video (Westmoreland Sports Network) - Live Stats (SideArm Sports) - Radio (U92.5FM)

COMING UP
IUP vs. Slippery Rock 
Saturday, February 22- 3:00 PM - KCAC - Indiana, Pa.
Social Media Updates: @IUP_MBB on X (formerly Twitter)

IUP TIPOFF NOTES
>> The Hawks are averaging 73.0 PPG, 37.2 RPG, 11.8 APG, 7.3 SPG, and 3.7 BPG.
>> IUP is shooting .443 from the field, .328 beyond the arc, and .705 from the free throw line.
>> The top three scorers for IUP include Christian Moore (16.9 PPG), Kymani Merraro (14.2 PPG) and Damir Brooks (11.4 PPG).
>> Freshmen Tyler Grove and Kymani Merraro have started all 24 games this season for the Crimson Hawks.
>> Redshirt Junior Guard Damir Brooks was awarded PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week on December 2.
>> Brooks is ranked fifth in the PSAC in blocked shots, recording 40 in 24 games.
>> Four IUP starters have recorded 20+ steals, these starters include Ian Herring (43), Christian Moore (34), Kymani Merraro (30), and Damir Brooks (25). 
>> Herring and Moore are ranked in the top 25 in total steals across the PSAC at fourth and 20th respectively.
>> Freshman Merraro hit the game-winning three pointer against Seton Hill on January 18th.
>> Merraro ranks fifth in the PSAC in total assists, recording a grand total of 109 so far this season, averaging 4.5 per game.   
>> Freshman Guard Ian Herring was named PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week on January 21. 
>> IUP plays significantly better at home this season, recording nine of their eleven wins at home, including all six of their conference wins.
>> The Hawks have struggled on the road, winning just one of nine games on the road and one of two games on neutral sites. . 
>> The Hawks are 9-3 when leading at halftime.
>> IUP is 11-5 when they shoot better than their opponent and 0-8 when they shoot worse.
>> With Moore, Merraro, Grove, Brooks, and Furtun as starters, IUP's record is 10-8.
>> Five games this season have been decided by less than three points. With IUP being 3-2 in those contests.

SETON HILL AT A GLANCE
Seton Hill's most recent matchup was on February 8 against Clarion in an impressive 77-60 victory. Three players for the Griffins scored more than 15 points. One of these three scorers is Gage Lattimore who scored 19 points. 15 of these points came from the three point line where Lattimore shot 83% from beyond the arc. As a team, the Griffins shot 54.3% from the field, 52.2% at the three point line, and 83.3% from the free throw line. Seton Hill's defense is ranked second in the PSAC. Allowing the second least points allowed per game at 71.3 PPG. The Griffins are also lethal from the three point line, tying Clarion in first in team 3-point FG percentage at 37.2%.  Kendrick Curtis, the sophomore from Baltimore leads his team in scoring and rebounds with 13.9 PPG and 7.4 RPG. Edir Ortiz leads the PSAC in blocks with 45, averaging 2.0 a game. 

PREVIOUS CONTEST VERSUS SETON HILL 
IUP's last game against Seton Hill was earlier this season on January 18 at the KCAC. An extremely close matchup that ended with the freshman Kymani Merraro hitting a game winning three pointer at the buzzer finalizing the score at 59-56. Leading scorer for the Hawks was also Merraro with 15 points, Ian Herring was behind Merraro at 14 points and recorded his first double-double of the season against the Griffins. Seton Hill also had two players who scored more than 10 points. Kendrick Curtis was the top scorer for the Griffins with 17 total points. Curtis grabbed four rebounds and three assists while shooting 80% from the free throw line. Edir Ortiz scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Griffins. 

STANDOUT MOORE
Christian Moore, a transfer from New Hampshire, has led the team in scoring on 13 occasions, eight of which were above 20 points. His highest-scoring game came against Tiffin where he scored 26 points and shot .571 from the field. Moore is averaging 33.4 minutes per game, 16.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and has tallied 34 steals.

FRESHMEN ON THE RISE
Merraro has made an impressive start to his collegiate career, carving his role as a generous ball handler, Merraro leads the Crimson Hawks in assists, logging 109 so far on the season, averaging 4.5 assists a game. This impressive feat ranks Merraro fifth in total assists in the PSAC. Grove has also proved himself as a key piece for Lombardi's team. The 6'7 freshman has started all the games this season for the Crimson Hawks averaging 11.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG and playing 28.1 MPG. Herring has proved himself as a valuable sixth man for the Crimson Hawks with his unrelentless defensive skills. Herring leads the team in steals with a total of 43. On January 21, Herring was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week for his rigorous efforts against Pitt-Johnstown and Seton Hill as he combined for eight blocks, five steals, and 17 rebounds. 

ELITE HAWK DEFENSE 
Coach Lombardi has emphasized the importance of defense and his players have been producing superbly when compared to the rest of the PSAC. Ranked fourth in total defense, the Crimson Hawk's opponents average only 72.1 PPG and have allowed the fourth least points throughout the season at 1,731. Lombardi's defense has also been extremely problematic for opponents trying to get the ball into the net. Ranked third in the PSAC in Opponent FG Percentage, the Crimson Hawks keep their opponents to an average of .428 FG% per game.

DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS
Blocks: Brooks (40), Herring (16), Grove (13), Triggs (9)
Steals: Herring (43), Moore (34), Merraro (30), Brooks (25)

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 last season, IUP boasts a 195-30 (.866) 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's team have won:
>> 9 of 12 games in 2024-25 (9-3)
>> 11 of 18 games in 2023-24 (11-7)
>> 17 of 18 games in 2022-23 (17-1; lone loss in Atlantic Region Championship) 
>> 21 of 22 games in 2021-22 (21-1)
>> 2 of 2 games in 2020-21 (2-0)
>> 16 of 16 games in 2019-20 (16-0)
>> 19 of 21 games in 2018-19 (19-2)

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 (428-133) 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 (.761) with at least 10 years of experience and in the top 20 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.