MEN
Both the IUP women and men are in position to win the Atlantic Region championships and move on to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight after the men last night pulled off an improbable win over powerful Virginia Union.
Jack Benedict recaps an incredible effort by the Crimson Hawks.
IUP held Virginia Union to just 30 percent shooting. Assistant coach Kevin Sciulli says even if the rest of your game isn’t working, defense is one area that can’t let up.
Sciulli says IUP’s bench, especially Sarp Furtun and Luke Triggs, was huge for the Crimson Hawks.
IUP will play PSAC rival Gannon for the Atlantic Region championship after the Golden Knights eliminated Cali, 89-73. IUP has played Gannon three times this season and lost all three, including last week in the PSAC Tournament semifinals.
Sciulli says the Crimson Hawks know the challenge ahead and will be working hard to get ready.
WOMEN
The IUP women have a tall task ahead of them tonight at the KCAC when they match up with Winston-Salem State for the Atlantic Region championship. IUP outdistanced Charleston and Seton Hill over the weekend while Winston-Salem took out Glenville State in the first round and then thrashed Gannon on Saturday, a win that certainly got the attention of coach Craig Carey and the Crimson Hawks.
Both teams are 28-3 and the Lady Rams got to Gannon quickly on Saturday hitting 7 out of 10 three-point attempts in the first half. They have a dominant inside player in 6-3 sophomore center Maia Charles and two three-point sharpshooters in Makayla Waleed and Nevaeh Farmer. IUP counters with 6-foot tall PSAC Athlete of the Year Shae Weaver and double-figure scorers Teresa Maggio and Ellie Wilkerson.
The airtime for tonight’s game on 92.5 FM U92 is 6:30, with tipoff scheduled for 7 o’clock.
DILLARD ADVANCES
IUP’s Dallis Dillard has advanced to the top 25 finalists for the Bevo Francis Award, which goes to the nation’s top small-college basketball player. That includes NCAA divisions II and II, the NAIA, USCAA and NCCAA.
Dillard has already been named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year and D2CCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year.
