No. 9 IUP avoids Vulcans’ upset bid

By ZACK ZEIGLER
MVI Sports
The Cal U men’s basketball team gave rival IUP all it could handle in the teams’ second meeting. But the No. 9-ranked Crimson Hawks walked out of the Convocation Center with a 79-70 win Wednesday.
“Execution wasn’t good enough,” said Cal U head coach Danny Sancomb. “Over the last five minutes of the game we didn’t play as a team. We got to understand that we are right there in the game and we have to execute better.”
After just over 32 minutes of play, the teams were tied at 61-61.
IUP scored four straight points to push their lead to 65-61 with six minutes to play.
After Cal U made it 65-64, IUP freshman Chucky Humphries hit his second 3-pointer to give IUP a 5-0 run to snatch the lead right back.
“That shot was the separator,” said IUP head coach Joe Lombardi. “Cal was still playing with a lot of confidence and it went to a two-possession game. We tried to get Malik (Miller) on the backdoor and that was the shot we were looking to get.”
IUP finished out the game going 6 for 6 from the free throw line, with Shawndale Jones making four, and held off a Vulcans comeback.
“When you have a lead, you have to make your free throws and you can’t turn the ball over,” said Lombardi. “Fortunately we got some stops and they couldnt get into the press and make us uncomfortable.”
Cal U’s defense was one of their strong suits, playing well from the start and holding IUP to just four points over the first five minutes of the game.
“Defensively, we were way better than the last time we played these guys,” said Sancomb. “Last time we played them they shot 70% in the second half and today in the second half I think they shot 40%. We made them work and move the basketball and I think we are right where we need to be at.”
The Vulcans kept the game close throughout the first half and got a spark as Brent Pegram picked up a steal and fed the ball to Jermaine Hall for a 3-pointer that made it 31-29 with 4:51 left in the first.
“He has been great for us all year,” Sancomb said of Pegram. “He has the ability to score, set up people and he does a good job. I would like for him to make some better decisions down the stretch but he’ll look at it tomorrow and learn from it.”

To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Thursday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.