 
 
 |
Jan. 23, 2010
Thomas Young hit a jumper with 1:32 left to break a tie and spark a 7-0 game-ending run to give IUP a 73-66 victory over Gannon and remain the only undefeated team in the PSAC West. The ninth-ranked Crimson Hawks improved to 15-1 overall and 4-0 in the PSAC West while snapping a six-game losing streak to the Golden Knights that dates back to the 2001-02 season. Gannon dropped to 7-9 and 2-2 in the division. IUP is 4-0 in the PSAC West for the first time since the 1994-95 team won its first eight division contests. Darryl Webb led IUP with 20 points and 14 rebounds followed by Akida McLain with 15 points and Young with 14. Young scored 10 of his points in the second to help IUP overcome a narrow 34-32 deficit at the break. George Johnson led Gannon with 23 points. Alfonso Scandrett had 12 and Travis Brannen added 10. IUP held a 34-24 advantage on the boards, shot 51.8 percent from the field and committed only four turnovers after having 10 miscues in the opening half. After trailing by two at the half, IUP quickly took the lead at the outset of the final 20 minutes, scoring 11 of the first 15 points with the first four by Young to take a 43-39 lead. It was 47-45 when IUP went on a 9-2 run to build a nine-point cushion. Julian Sanders started the run with a 3-pointer followed by two free throws by Young and a layup and tip-in by Scooter Renkin that made it 56-47 with 11:23 remaining. But Gannon, the defending PSAC and NCAA Atlantic Region champions, did not go away quietly. The Golden Knights eventually got within 66-64 on two free throws by Johnson with 2:37 left and then tied it on their next possession on a jumper by Johnson at the 1:57 mark. After an IUP timeout, Young gave the Crimson Hawks the lead for good with his basket with 1:32 to go. Brannen missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Ashton Smith buried a 3-pointer on the other end for only his second basket of the game to give IUP some breathing room. Johnson misfired on a 3-pointer and Renkin put the finishing touches on the game-ending run by IUP with a pair from the line to provide the final margin. The first half featured a series of runs and ended with Gannon in front 34-32. Webb scored eight points in the opening 3:33 to give IUP a quick 12-2 lead before the Golden Knights went on a 26-7 run, taking a 28-19 lead on a 3-pointer by Filmore Bouldes with 6:48 left before halftime. The Crimson Hawks put in the next nine points with McLain scoring the final five including a 3-point play, to tie it up before Gannon inched ahead at the break. After road victories over Mercyhurst, Lock Haven and Gannon, IUP returns home for the first time since January 13 when California visits Memorial Field House on Wednesday for a 7:30 tipoff. |
