INDIANA Pa. – IUP finished the regular season with a loss, 86-67, at Waldo S. Tippin Gymnasium against Clarion on Friday, February 28.
IUP ended the regular season with a record of 13-15 and a conference record of 8-12, Clarion jumped to 12-14 overall and 7-13 in the PSAC.
Four Crimson Hawks scored 10+ points in this matchup, leading scorer Tyler Grove led the Hawks with 17 points, Christian Moore followed suit with 15 points, three rebounds, and two assists. Kymani Merraro scored 12 points and logged seven rebounds, while Damir Brooks scored 11 points, grabbed eight rebounds, blocked three shots and acquired four steals.
In the first half it was all Clarion, coming out of the locker room and going on a 22-5 run in the first seven minutes. IUP collected its bearings and a good jumper by Luke Triggs and a three pointer made by Grove brought the lead to a more manageable number. Clarion brought the lead back up with several more successful shots. IUP finished the first half with a layup by Moore with five seconds remaining to finish the turbulent first half.
IUP attempted a comeback coming out to the second half, cutting the lead to nine points with a three pointer by Grove. IUP saw another nine point deficit with 9:33 left in the game by a three pointer made by Sarp Furtun assisted by Merraro. However, this was the closest the Crimson Hawks got to acquiring a lead. Clarion took over from then and the Crimson Hawks were unable to cut the lead to 10 points or less for the remainder of the game.
Up Next
IUP awaits to find out who they play in the first round of the PSAC tournament on March 3
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