Edinboro (18-9, No. 4 PSAC West) at #16 Indiana (Pa.) (21-5, No. 1 PSAC West)
The Game Stories
} Playing in the PSAC Tournament for the first time since 2009, Edinboro rallied for a 65-60 win against Mercyhurst on Saturday. Now the fourth-seeded Fighting Scots take on top-seeded and 16th-ranked Indiana(Pa.) in the PSAC Quarterfinals. The winner will move on to play in the PSAC Final Four on Friday, March 8 and Saturday, March 9. As the top seed, and with the Western Division hosting the men's Final Four, an IUP win would allow the Crimson Hawks to serve as the host. IUP was ranked fourth in the latest Atlantic Region rankings.
} Edinboro comes into the game with a three-game winning streak to improve to 18-9 overall. That ties for the most wins since 2008-09. That squad ended the year at 18-10.
} Edinboro qualified for the PSAC Tournament for the first time since 2008-09. The three-year drought had been the longest in Greg Walcavich's 24-year tenure as head coach. This marks the first time Edinboro has reached the quarterfinals since 2008.
} Indiana(Pa.) comes into the playoffs with a 21-5 season and finished first in the Western Division with a 17-4 record. The Crimson Hawks are 14-1 at the Kovalchick xxx. They last played on Wednesday, February 27, handing Lock Haven a 93-66 defeat. IUP has lost two of its last four games, falling to Mercyhurst and Slippery Rock.
} Head coach Greg Walcavich is in his 24th season in charge of the Fighting Scots, showing a 429-250 record. Including stints at Birmingham Southern and West Virginia Wesleyan he is 583-313 overall as he is in his 31st season as a head coach.
} Edinboro lost both regular season meetings to IUP. In both instances the Fighting Scots found themselves training by double figures only to rally. The first game, played at McComb Fieldhouse, resulted in an 86-75 loss in overtime. Edinboro played two weeks ago at IUP and dropped a 78-70 decision.
The PSAC Playoff Picture
} The winner of Tuesday's Edinboro-IUP game will move on to the PSAC semifinals, which will be hosted by the highest remaining Eastern Division seed. The winner will face the winer of the West Chester-Millersville game. The other semifinal features the winers of the Gannon-Slippery Rock and East Stroudsburg-Mansfield games. The PSAC?Final Four is set for Friday, March 8 and Saturday, March 9.
Scouting #16 Indiana(Pa.)
} The preseason favorites in the PSAC West, the Crimson Hawks did not disappoint, earning the top seed in the Western Division with a 17-4 record. They show an overall record of 21-5, with the five losses by a combined 18 points. The Crimson Hawks were ranked 16th in last week's NABC?Top 25, and were fourth in the latest Atlantic Regional rankings. IUP showcases one of the stingiest defense in the PSAC, allowing just 58.5 ppg., second in the league, and holding opponents to 39.5 percent shooting, good for third. The Crimson Hawks are also second in field goal percentage at 45.2 percent, and are third in rebounding margin at plus 3.7. Head coach Joe Lombardi has made ample use of transfers since resurrecting the IUP program when he arrived in 2006-07. This year's squad is no exception. Leading scorer (13.2 ppg.) and rebounder (6.2 rpg.) Mathis Keita played at Gonzaga a year ago. The 6'5” junior hails from France and played in 39 games for the Bulldogs his first two years. Scooter Renkin is the second of four double-figure scorers and one of five players with 20-or-more three-pointers. A 6'4” senior who played his freshman season at James Madison, Renkin averages 11.6 ppg. and 4.6 rpg. He has made 36 3-pointers in 93 attempts. Marcel Souberbielle, a 6'8” junior from Uruguay, adds 10.7 ppg. and 4.0 rpg., with Anthony Wells at 10.6 ppg. and 3.2 rpg. The 6'1” senior played two years at Cleveland State, and leads IUP with 41 3-pointers in 124 tries. Other Crimson Hawks to watch include Devante Chance (7.5 ppg., 90 asts.), a 5'10” sophomore, and Rhode Island transfer Blake Vedder (4.6 ppg.), the tallest player in the PSAC at 7'3”. Six-foot-nine Josh Weigand (5.9 ppg., 3.6 rpg.) and 6'8” Danny Ayebo (4.6 ppg., 3.4 rpg.) provide quality depth up front.
The Edinboro-Indiana(Pa.) Series
} IUP leads 92-71
This marks the 164th meeting between Edinboro and Indiana(Pa.). The Crimson Hawks have won the last nine meetings, including an 86-75 win in overtime in January, and a 78-70 victory two weeks ago at the Kovalchick Complex. Edinboro last prevailed in the first meeting of the 2008-09 campaign, 83-78 at McComb Fieldhouse. Prior to the nine-game skid Edinboro had won the previous eight contests against IUP.
The First Meeting
} January 23, 2013 -- Indiana(Pa.) 86, Edinboro 75 ot
The Fighting Scots rallied from an 18-point second half deficit to send the game into overtime. IUP still led by 11 points with 3:25 to play at 71-60, but Edinboro would hold the Crimson Hawks to just one basket the rest of regulation. That basket was by Mathis Keita with 1:16 to play to make it 73-68, but
Jamal Bailey scored on a layup with 58 seconds to play. IUP's Anthony Wells missed a layup with 27 seconds, and
Jay Fletcher clutched the rebound, with Edinboro calling timeout with 21.7 seconds to play. Fletcher capped an incredible second half as his 3-pointer from the top of the key as he was fading away hit nothing but net, and with 7.5 seconds left the contest was tied at 73-73. It was Fletcher's career-best eighth 3-pointer of the game, and seventh in the second half. IUP would control the overtime period, however, outscoring the Fighting Scots, 13-2, including the final nine points of the game. Edinboro was just 1-for-7 from the floor in OT. The loss spoiled a brilliant effort by Fletcher. The senior guard matched his career-high with 30 points. He scored 25 of those points in the second half, making seven 3-pointers, including five straight attempts at one point. He ended the night making 10 of 19 field goals, including 8 of 15 3-pointers, and 2 of 2 at the line. He added five rebounds and four assists. Backcourt mate
Isaiah Prince turned in a stellar performance, as well, with 21 points, six rebounds and four assists. IUP had five players in double figures, led by Keita who had 21 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Wells totaled 16 points, with Danny Ayebo showing 13 points and seven rebounds and Josh Weigand 13 points. Marcel Souberbielle added 12 points.
The Second Meeting
} February 20, 2013 -- Indiana(Pa.) 78, Edinboro 70
Jay Fletcher did his best to lead Edinboro to a comeback at 14th-ranked Indiana(Pa.), but in the end a huge inside advantage proved too much to overcome in a 78-70 loss. IUP used a spurt at the end of the first half and the start of the second half to take a big lead. The Crimson Hawks scored ten straight points before
Johnathan Logan hit a 3-pointer at the end of the half to close the gap to 38-34 at intermission. IUP came out and went on a 14-4 run to start the second half to take its largest lead of the night at 52-38. The lead was still 12 points at 66-54 with 5:49 remaining when Fletcher led a valiant comeback attempt. He hit a 3-pointer, then backcourt mate
Isaiah Prince added a pair of free throws to cut the margin to 66-59. Mathis Keita's two free throws boosted the lead back to nine points, but the Scots answered with a
Xavier Churnac layup and a Prince jumper to make it 68-63. Marcel Souberbielle scored on a layup, but Fletcher's three with 1:40 to play suddenly had the Scots to within four at 70-66. Unfortunately, the Crimson Hawks ran off the next six points, as Edinboro missed three straight shots and the front end of a one-and-one. Anthony Wells' 3-pointers proved a dagger at the start of the run. With 20 seconds to play, Edinboro trailed 78-68. Fletcher paced four Fighting Scots in double figures with 24 points, making 7 of 11 3-pointers. Prince finished with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists. Logan had 10 points, all in the first half, with Churnac contributing 10 points and a team-high seven boards. Keita and Souberbielle paced IUP with 18 points apiece, with Keita, a transfer from Gonzaga, adding 13 rebounds. Wells had 13 points and nine boards, with Scooter Renkin totaling 11 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and Josh Wiegand scoring 10 points. The Crimson Hawks totally dominated the inside, outscoring Edinboro, 38-12, in the paint and holding a 46-30 rebounding edge.
The Coaches
} Greg Walcavich, Edinboro -- is in his 24th season at the helm of the Fighting Scots and his 31st overall as a head coach. He has a 430-250 record at Edinboro and is 584-313 overall. Walcavich has also previously served as the head coach at Birmingham Southern and West Virginia Wesleyan. (For an indepth bio see page 12)
} Joe Lombardi, IUP -- the former Pittsburgh assistant has returned the IUP program to Division II prominence. He took over in 2006-07 with the program under NCAA probation and has led the Crimson Hawks to a 144-64 record during his seven seasons. His finest season occurred in 2009-10, as the Crimson Hawks came within one win of the NCAA Division II national championship. They won the Atlantic Region title to advance to the Elite Eight, then defeated Valdosta State and St. Cloud State before losing to Cal Poly Pomona in the championship game. The 2009-10 IUP squad finished at 33-3 and was also the PSAC champion. Lombardi was named the PSAC West Coach of the Year and was selected the Basketball Times Division II National Coach of the Year. The next year the Crimson Hawks went 26-6, and a year ago their 23-6 finish marked Lombardi's fourth 20-win campaign. IUP won its third consecutive PSAC regular season title and appeared in the NCAA tournament for a fourth straight season in 2011-12.
