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Hardest part of this game ... with Shawndale they win this game by 25+
But ... that's a season maybe we'll see next year.
To go up there against Manchel full strength and win ... has to be one of Joe's best wins of his tenure.Leave a comment:
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Was Alum able to get in the building for that one, or was he watching the feed with the rest of you?Leave a comment:
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16:04 left
IUP on 11-0 run
IUP 50
Mercyhurst 38
Lakers (4) fouls so far 2nd halfLeave a comment:
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Sulaiman had a huge half with 6 points and being a menace. Polce had two big treys.
David got to the half with 2 fouls and sat a good bit. He should be good to go so long as he stays clean.
Demo ... time to go.Leave a comment:
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38-33 IUP at half
Clean things up and up by 12
Drop the hammer. It's there.Leave a comment:
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Is this game at 7pm or 730pm?
Schedule says 7pm
Broadcast says 730pm
Leave a comment:
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Some keys and obstacles for IUP tonight at Mercyhurst:
* IUP isn't facing some young or also-ran coach tonight. Gary Manchel knows IUP's style better than probably anybody aside from Joe Lombardi. How will he try and exploit Joe's current lineup?
* IUP has won 9 of the past 12 meetings in the series. Most recently, the two split during the 2019-2020 season - with each winning at home. Of note, IUP was short-handed in its loss in Erie that year as Chucky Humphries was out. That gets mentioned because Manchel did a phenomenal job that day of exploiting IUP's lineup weakness. That could be a theme tonight.
* Manchel and Joe have shown over the years a notion to sell out on top scorers and essentially ignore other players on defense. I'd suspect they sell out on Armoni Foster tonight. They will likely 'dork' (as coaches call it) whomever is IUP's 3rd guard on the floor. That means others, in particular Tommy Demogerontas, need to exploit this match-up.
* The Lakers have been playing small-ball most the season -- starting (4) guards and (1) small forward (essentially another big guard in this case). This could backfire against a talented IUP post. IUP's starting bigs shoot more deep shots than most guards in the league. It's going to be hard for the Lakers' 6'0" guards to cover the 6'9" Ethan Porterfield and the 6'8" Demogerontas on the perimeter.
* Joe has been harping this the past several games, but IUP has to start strong tonight. Mercyhurst hasn't faced a whole lot of adversity this year. And, a fast start exploits that match-up zone a bit. A week ago, IUP made a huge comeback against California, but doing that against the Lakers' defense will be a whole different climb. Mercyhurst likes to get that lead and then suffocate its opponent.
* Clean the glass. Ethan, Tommy and Tomiwa Sulaiman need to get angry under there tonight. The outcomes of these IUP/Mercyhurst games typically come down to second-chance points.
* IUP's bench has to score 8-10 points tonight. This is a must.
- Polce has to stay clean. They need him on the floor tonight for 27 minutes.
* Joe's been wanting to play slow, but that's exactly what Mercyhurst wants you to do. It will be interesting to see how Joe has IUP push the pace.
* The things IUP can control:
- Limit the foolish turnovers. Mercyhurst will force turnovers. It's what they specialize in. But, don't give them any freebies (wild, long passes).
- No dumb fouls. There's not much of a bench. IUP gets in foul trouble in the starting lineup and, well, it won't end well.
- Don't let off the gas. IUP started hot against Lock Haven and then basically fell asleep.
- Get Sulaiman minutes. The more he plays, the better he plays. He's the bruiser (muscle) on this team. He's the next to explode -- much like David did over the past three games. They don't need him to score much, but he brings everything else. If he starts catching the fancy passes, his scoring average would likely be 6 points higher.Leave a comment:
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