No. 17 IUP Holds Off Furious Late Rally to Hold Off Mounties

INDIANA, PA – No. 17 IUP withstood a furious late-game rally to hold off Mansfield 82-69 in a PSAC crossover contest Saturday evening.

After a tight first half, IUP took a 19-point lead midway through the second half before Mansfield rallied behind a 15-3 run closing the gap to 72-66 on a layup by Matt Tamanosky with just over three minutes to go.

Mansfield had a chance to close the gap further but missed the front end of a pair of 1-1 free throw attempts. IUP preserved its win hitting five of six free throws down the stretch and outscoring the Mountaineers 10-3 over the final two minutes.

Mansfield led early in the game, holding a 14-13 lead on Cedrick Powell's layup seven minutes into the game but IUP used a barrage of 3-pointers, hitting four straight treys to take a 33-25 advantage with just over five minutes remaining before intermission.

Mansfield fought its way back, tying the contest at 34-34 on a 3-pointer by Malik Carter with just over two minutes left in the half before IUP scored the final four points to take a 38-34 lead into halftime.

IUP went long-ball again to start the second half, draining three 3-pointers and taking a 49-36 lead. The Crimson Hawks would extend their lead to 67-48 with just over eight minutes to play before Mansfield rallied closing to 72-62.

Mansfield shot an impressive 54% from the floor and held a 28-27 rebounding advantage but committed a season-high 19 turnovers.

Carter scored 12 of his game-high 20 points in the first half with Tamanosky scoring 11 of his 17 points in the second half. Jahyde Gardiner scored 14 points and Cedrick Powell adding 10 points and five assists.

Jacobo Diaz had a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead IUP.

Mansfield is off for finals before traveling to Millersville on Dec. 30.