IUP men's basketball team tops Mercyhurst for PSAC title
The Indiana University of Pennsylvania men’s basketball team held Mercyhurst under 50 points and claimed the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship with a 56-49 victory Sunday afternoon.
The Crimson Hawks (29-2) finished off the Lakers (23-7) about an hour after the IUP women won their PSAC title with a 72-57 win over Kutztown.
It is the first time both the men’s and women’s teams from a school won PSAC titles in the same season since Millersville in 1987.
The IUP men won their 10th PSAC title and first since 2013. They have earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship. The Atlantic Regional begins Saturday.
Jacobo Diaz and Malik Miller led IUP with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Crimson Hawks senior Dante Lombardi (The Kiski School) was named the Most Valuable Player after averaging 20.5 points during the weekend.
He tallied 33 in a 90-69 victory over West Chester in the semifinals Saturday.
IUP has won 10 consecutive games.
Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.
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