INDIANA, Pa. – The fifth seeded IUP men's basketball program heads to the top-seeded Gannon Golden Knights for a PSAC Quarterfinals matchup on Wednesday, March 5. 

GAMEDAY CENTRAL  
(5W) IUP (14-15, 8-12 PSAC) at (1W) Gannon (22-6, 17-3 PSAC)
Wednesday, March 5 - 7:30 PM - Highmark Events Center - Erie, Pa.
Game Coverage: Live Video — Live Stats —Live Audio - Championship Central
Social Media Updates: @IUP_MBB on X (formerly Twitter) 

TICKETS
Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance online. There will be a mobile device at the site to purchase tickets and there will be no cash sales. 

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children K-12, and students with a valid PSAC member institution ID card will receive free admission.

Hudl Ticket Link: PSAC Championship Tickets
 

PSAC TOURNAMENT OVERVIEW

• IUP defeated Slippery Rock 69-67 on the road in the PSAC First Round Monday evening.
• Wednesday's PSAC Quarterfinals matchup features the fifth seed IUP Crimson Hawks and the top-seeded Gannon Golden Knights.
• Under Joe Lomardi, the men's program has been extremely successful in the PSAC tournament, appearing seventeen times and acquiring seven PSAC championships. 
• Lombardi's record of 29-9 in the PSAC tournament is the most winningest in program history.
• Lombardi is 3-0 in the first round of the PSAC tournament and 11-5 in the Quarterfinals.
• Throughout program history, IUP has appeared in the tournament 38 total times, boasting an all-time record of 49-25 (.657), and 13-4 in championship games.
• Following the PSAC First Round and Quarterfinals, the semifinal and championship rounds will be contested on March 8-9 at the highest remaining east seed.

IUP TIPOFF NOTES
>> The Hawks are averaging 73.0 PPG, 37.0 RPG, 12.0 APG, 7.3 SPG, and 3.6 BPG.
>> IUP is shooting .439 from the field, .325 beyond the arc, and .708 from the free throw line.
>> The top three scorers for IUP include Christian Moore (17.2 PPG), Kymani Merraro (15.2 PPG) and Tyler Grove (11.3 PPG).
>> Freshmen Tyler Grove and Kymani Merraro have started all 29 games in the regular season for the Crimson Hawks
>> Redshirt Junior Guard Damir Brooks was awarded PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week on December 2 and most recently on March 3.
>> Brooks is ranked fourth in the PSAC in blocked shots, recording 49 in 29 games.
>> Three IUP players have posted over 40 steals this season, including Ian Herring (50), Moore (42), and Merraro (41). All three are ranked in the top 25 in total steals across the PSAC at fifth, 16th, and 19th respectively.
>> Merraro hit the game-winning three pointer against Seton Hill on January 18th.
>> Merraro ranks fourth in the PSAC in total assists, recording a grand total of 130 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 10 of their 14 wins at home.
>> The Hawks have struggled on the road, winning just two of 10 games on the road.
>> The Hawks are 11-3 when leading or tied at halftime.
>> IUP is 12-5 when they shoot better than their opponent and 2-10 when they shoot worse.
>> With Moore, Merraro, Grove, Brooks, and Furtun as starters, IUP's record is 12-9.
>> Five games in the regular season have been decided by less than three points. IUP went 3-2 in those contests.

GANNON AT A GLANCE 
The Golden Knights are currently 22-6 overall and are the top seed in the PSAC West. Gannon is currently on a six-game winning streak and post a 11-1 home record. As a team they are averaging 91.3 PPG, 43.1 RPG, 17.6 APG, 11.6 SPG, and 3.3 BPG. They currently lead the league in steals per game, totaling 324 on the season and in points per game, notching over 90.  

Leading the team in points per game is Ernest Shelton with 17.4 and also in blocks (25). He has started all 28 games and is averaging 27.4 MPG and is shooting .407 from the field. Earnest scored 20+ points on nine different occasions but in the remaining six games of the season he did not score above 15.0 PPG. Next top scorer is Tasman Goodrick who is averaging 15.3 PPG and 10.5 RPG. In the past three games, Goodrick has totaled 30 rebounds with 19 being defensive. Pace Prosser ranks third in the PSAC with 52 steals, averaging 1.9 per game. 

Last season Gannon were the 2024 PSAC Champions after they defeated California (Pa.) in the championship game, 89-74. The Golden Knights punched their ticket to NCAA tournament and won the Atlantic Regional. They advanced to the Elite Eight but dropped to Cal State San Bernardino, 99-65 which was their lowest scoring game all season.

PREVIOUS CONTEST VERSUS GANNON
The last time these two teams faced was nearly one month ago on February 8 at the Highmark Events Center. Both teams were trading leads up until the end of the first half, with IUP leading 37-36. After the first half, IUP's offense went cold and Gannon was able to take advantage of the situation, and the Crimson Hawks found themselves in an unrecoverable deficit leading to a 84-62 loss. Three Crimson Hawks scored 10+ points against the Golden Knights, leading scorer was Christian Moore with 15 points, next was Kymani Merraro who tagged 14 points and five rebounds, lastly Tyler Grove scored 12 points as well as added four rebounds and two assists.

Gannon was shooting under .400 in the first half from the field and the three point line. However, in the second half, Gannon became much more efficient, shooting .642 from the field, .625 from three-point line and .875 at the free throw line. Leading scorer for the Golden Knights was Tasman Goodrick who scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

STANDOUT MOORE
Christian Moore, a transfer from New Hampshire, has led the team in scoring on 14 occasions, nine 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 33.8 MPG, 17.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and has tallied 42 steals. His most recent matchup against Slippery Rock featured a 14 point, five rebound and three assists performance.

FRESHMEN ON THE RISE
Kymani 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 130 so far in the season. Averaging 4.5 APG., this impressive feat ranks Merraro fourth in assists in the PSAC. Merraro led the team in scoring against Slippery Rock in the first round of the PSAC tournament with 25 points.

Tyler Grove has proved himself as a key starter for Lombardi's team. The 6'7 freshman has started all the games this season for the Crimson Hawks averaging 11.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG while playing 28.0 MPG.

Ian 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 50. 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 fifth in total defense, the Crimson Hawk's opponents average only 72.7 PPG and have allowed the seventh least points throughout the season at 2,109.
Lombardi's defense has also been extremely problematic for opponents trying to get the ball into the net. Ranked eighth in the PSAC in Opponent FG Percentage, the Crimson Hawks keep their opponents to an average of .438 FG% per game.

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 (431-136) 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.