ERIE, Pa. -- The IUP men's basketball remained close throughout the first half but were unable to recover in the second half when Gannon pulled away, falling in the PSAC Quarterfinals 88-58. 

IUP finished the season 14-16 overall while Gannon improved to 23-6 on the season. IUP struggled shooting just .311 from the field and .214 beyond the arc. Gannon shot .470 from the field and made eight three-pointers.  

IUP's leading scorer was Kymani Merraro with 12 points and five assists. Ian Herring followed with a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. He grabbed two steals while Damir Brooks posted three blocks.  

IUP's first three points came from free throws until Merraro made a three-pointer at 15:54. A layup from Brooks and a triple from Herring put the Hawks in the lead, 11-9. The teams both remained scoreless for three minutes until a layup from Gannon was made at 9:18. Merraro and Tyler Grove added jumpers that cut their trail to four points, 23-19. Christian Moore added two three-pointers before Gannon made a few more baskets to close out the first half, IUP trailed by nine, 40-31. 

In the second half, the Golden Knights jumped to a 20-point advantage that was paused from a Herring triple at 14:54. Alfonso Pickens Jr. and Sarp Furtun both added jumpers. Brooks made a dunk at 5:54 and Pickens Jr. made a three-pointer two minutes later. IUP managed a few more baskets, but couldn't overcome a 30-point deficit as they fell 88-58 in the PSAC Quarterfinals against Gannon. 

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