Vulcans fall short at IUP
INDIANA – Ethan Porterfield scored 22 points, including three pivotal three-pointers in the second half and two clutch free throws in the final minute, giving No. 3-ranked Indiana a 70-66 win over California in the PSAC men’s basketball tournament quarterfinals Wednesday night.
IUP (27-2) will host the PSAC Final Four this weekend. Cal (21-9) hopes it will be selected as an at-large team to the NCAA Division II tournament. Three of Cal’s nine losses have come against IUP.
In both regular-season matchups, California used fast starts to build early double-digit leads against IUP, only to have the Crimson Hawks come from behind to win. This time, Cal overcame one double-digit deficit and later trimmed seven-point IUP lead in the second half to a single point but never gained the lead down the stretch.
Dallis Dillard scored 14 points for IUP and Tomiwa Sulaiman had 10, including a key tip-in that gave the Crimson Hawks a 66-62 lead with 1:10 remaining.
Philip Alston paced Cal with 20 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Brent Pegram had 19 points and Keith Palek 13.
IUP led 22-12 midway through the first half but Cal rallied and pulled to within 35-34 at halftime after a late three-pointer by Palek. Another three by Palek to opend the second half gave the Vulcans a 37-35 lead.
IUP used a 9-0 run to regain control before Cal answered with its own 9-0 spurt and trailed 49-48.
Porterfield, however, made two three-point baskets and a three-point play to keep the Crimson Hawks in the lead.
Following Sulaiman’s tip-in, Cal missed two shots and then had to send IUP to the free-throw line in the closing seconds.