EDINBORO, Pa. (Dec. 19, 2015) – The Edinboro men's basketball team rallied late in the game but could not come all the way back while suffering an 82-74 loss to Indiana(Pa.) on Saturday afternoon at McComb Fieldhouse. The Fighting Scots fell to 6-4 overall and 6-2 in the PSAC West with the loss, while IUP improved to 8-5 and 5-3, respectively. Edinboro has now lost 14 of its last 15 meetings with the Crimson Hawks.
 
With PSAC-leading scorer Jaymon Mason missing all but seven minutes of the first half with two fouls, IUP jumped out to a 42-29 lead at the half. Anthony Glover's 3-pointer to start the second half boosted the deficit to 16 points at 45-29.  Edinboro cut the margin to nine points twice before IUP built the lead back up to 15 points on four occasions, the last at 65-50 with 7:21 remaining.
 
Edinboro still trailed by 12 points at 70-58 with just over five minutes to play when the Fighting Scots began their rally. They twice cut the deficit to seven, the second time at 72-65 with 2:04 to play on Mason's jumper. Dante Lombardi answered with a 3-pointer for IUP, but the Scots responded with a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to 77-72 with 38 seconds to play.
 

Tommy Scales started the run with a jumper in the paint, and Art Cook followed with a layup, although the junior forward would miss the ensuing free throw. Brandon Norfleet and Tevin Hanner each made one of two free throws to give IUP a 77-69 lead with 46 seconds remaining, but Sheldon Brogdon answered with a rainbow three to cut the gap to 77-72 with 38 seconds left.
 
That would be as close as the Fighting Scots would get, however. Lombardi drained a pair of free throws four seconds later, with Scales' rebound basket again making it a five-point game with 25 ticks showing. Norfleet was fouled immediately and made one of two free throws. Henri Wade-Chatman's 3-pointer missed, and Cook's put back failed to fall. Jacobo Diaz's two free throws with 15 seconds to play accounted for the final score.
 
The difference in the game ended up coming at the free throw line, as IUP made 19-of-25 free throws compared to 12-of-16 for the Fighting Scots. Edinboro shot 40.3 percent for the game (27-for-67), while IUP came in at 44.6 percent (29-of-65). Edinboro made 8-of-21 3-pointers, with IUp at 5-for-16. The Fighting Scots won a spirited battle on the boards, 43-39. IUP committed just four turnovers while the Scots were guilty of 10, resulting in an 18-4 advantage in points off turnovers for the Crimson Hawks.
 
Wade-Chatman paced Edinboro with 21 points, with 13 of those in the first half. He added four assists. After missing his only two shots in the first half, Mason finished with 18 points, adding seven rebounds, while playing just 23 minutes.
 

Scales turned in his third double-double of the season with 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, including six offensive boards.
 
Norfleet, who came in as the third-leading scorer in the PSAC, led IUP with a career-high 31 points, adding eight assists. Hanner was the only other Crimson Hawk in double digits as he posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, adding four blocked shots.
   
Edinboro will now take an extended break for the holidays before returning to action on December 30 to host Thiel. The final contest of 2015 will get underway at 7 p.m. at McComb Fieldhouse.