The IUP men’s basketball team is officially on a roll. Coming into Sunday afternoon’s NCAA Division-II regional semifinal matchup against Slippery Rock, the Crimson Hawks had won seven of their last eight games.
They made if eight wins in their last nine with a 73-65 victory over PSAC rivals Slippery Rock in the Atlantic Regional semifinal in West Liberty, West Virginia.
The Crimson Hawks were led by 23 points from Shawn Dyer, who shot 6-for-10 and was a perfect 10-for-10 on the free-throw line, and 16 points from Devante Chance, was 4-for-10 from the field and added four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Slippery Rock jumped out to an early lead, with a three-pointer by Antonio Butler giving them a 19-7 advantage with 14 minutes remaining in the first half. IUP clawed back with a 7-0 run and had drawn within three at the half.
The second half remained tight until the Crimson Hawks made four straight baskets, capped off by a Dyer jumper with 4:06 remaining to put IUP up 60-51.
With Slippery Rock trailing late and needing to foul, the Crimson Hawks put on a display at the stripe, making 13-of-14 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
IUP will play the winner of the other Atlantic Region semifinal, which has host and #1 seed West Liberty playing Fairmont State in a battle of Mountain East Conference opponents. The regional final will be on Tuesday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m. at West Liberty University.
Photo credit: IUP
