On their way to fourth-straight conference title, the Indiana (Pa.) Crimson Hawks defeated the Mercyhurst Lakers, 54-53, in the 2023 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament Final on Sunday from Heiges Field House in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.
On the way to their fourth-straight conference title, the Indiana (Pa.) Crimson Hawks defeated the Mercyhurst Lakers, 54-53, in the 2023 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament Final on Sunday from Heiges Field House in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.
IUP came out with a strong start in the first period on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they went 12-of-20 from the field overall and posted 20 of their 30 points from in the paint. On defense, they held a struggling Lakers offense to just 32.1 percent (9-of-28) shooting heading into the break.
Up 30-23 coming into the second half, IUP were challenged by multiple scoring runs from Mercyhurst but never gave up a lead change. Sparked by three three-pointers from Nick Lang, the Lakers brought the score within a single possession on multiple occasions, but IUP's 20-to-9 advantage on the boards (including seven off the offensive glass) in the second period kept Mercyhurst at bay.
Ethan Porterfield (6'8''-F) was once again the anchor for IUP, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 in the first half and finishing the night with an efficient 18 points on 9-for-11 shooting. For his play throughout the postseason, Porterfield was recognized as the Most Valuable Player of the PSAC Championship Tournament for the second year in a row after also winning the honor last season.
Outside of Porterfield, PSAC West Athlete of the Year Shawndale Jones and Dave Morris (6'1''-G-1998) each contributed 12 points for the Crimson Hawks, while Tomiwa Sulaiman (6'6''-F-2001) posted a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds.
For Mercyhurst, Nick Lang highlighted the scoring by producing a team-high of 16 points behind 4-of-6 shooting beyond the arc. Michael Bradley (6'0''-PG) and Jeffrey Planutis (6'5''-G) also reached double-figures to help the Laker offense.
IUP shot 49% (22-of-45) from the floor and 23% (3-of-13) from downtown on their way to the victory.

Courtesy of psacsports.org

All-Tournament MVP: Ethan Porterfield (6'8''-F) of IUP
East Division Player of the Year: Carlos Carter (6'5''-F) of Shippensburg
East Division Defensive Player of the Year: Dom Sleva (6'6''-F) of Shippensburg
East Division Freshman of the Year: Saraj Ali (6'5''-F) of Mansfield, PA
East Division Coach of the Year: Chris Fite of Shippensburg
West Division Player of the Year: Shawndale Jones (6'3''-G) of IUP
West Division Defensive Player of the Year: John Kromka (6'7''-F) of Pitt-Johnstown
West Division Freshman of the Year: Andrew Shull (6'0''-PG) of Pitt-Johnstown
West Division Coach of the Year: Joe Lombardi of IUP

All-PSAC East Division First Team 2023

Carter

Dade

McAliley

McClain-Corley

McGee

Pepin

First Team
Carlos Carter (6'5''-F) of Shippensburg
Matt Dade (6'6''-F) of Millersville
Lakeem McAliley (6'6''-F) of ESU
Daniel McClain-Corley (6'5''-G) of Shepherd
Kyle McGee (6'4''-G) of W.Chester
Carlos Pepin (6'7''-F) of ESU
Dom Sleva (6'6''-F) of Shippensburg

All-PSAC East Division Second Team 2023

Bryant

Generett

Johnson

Nwosu

Smith

Second Team
Jalen Bryant (5'11''-PG) of Kutztown
Jayy Davis (6'3''-G) of Lock Haven
Kyree Generett (6'1''-G) of Kutztown
Rashon Johnson (6'5''-G/F) of Shippensburg
Justin Nwosu (6'6''-F) of Millersville
Robert Smith (6'1''-G) of W.Chester
Robert Tucker (6'7''-C) of Kutztown

All-PSAC West Division First Team 2023

Bradley

Jones

Kromka

Morris

Palek

Planutis

Third Team
Michael Bradley (6'0''-PG) of Mercyhurst
Shawndale Jones (6'3''-G) of IUP
John Kromka (6'7''-F) of Pitt-Johnstown
Dave Morris (6'1''-G-1998) of IUP
Keith Palek (6'7''-F) of California, PA
Jeffrey Planutis (6'5''-G) of Mercyhurst
Tomiwa Sulaiman (6'6''-F-2001) of IUP

All-PSAC West Division Second Team 2023

Britt

Gates

Hall Jr.

Lang

McIntosh

Shull

Honorable Mention
Amante Britt (5'10''-PG) of Slippery Rock
Khalid Gates (6'7''-G/F) of Slippery Rock
Jermaine Hall Jr. (6'4''-G/F) of California, PA
Nicholas Lang (6'1''-G) of Mercyhurst
Miykah McIntosh (5'11''-PG) of Mercyhurst
Andrew Shull (6'0''-PG) of Pitt-Johnstown
Samuel Tabe (6'5''-G) of Seton Hill