Mar 15, 2022 4 min read

INDIANA – The Indiana men’s basketball team has California University’s number. Actually, two numbers: 4 and 18.

Indiana defeated California on Tuesday night, 68-59, for the fourth time this season, and 18th consecutive time overall dating back to 2014.

But none of those IUP wins came on a bigger stage than this one, the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional championship game at the Crimson Hawks’ Kovalchick Complex.

And never during that 18-game stretch had Cal pushed IUP to the limit like it did in this one.

IUP (32-2), which advances to the Elite Eight next week in Evansville, Ind., had to close the game on a 15-5 run to pull out the victory in a defense-dominated game that was close until the game’s final two minutes.

There were 19 lead changes and 14 ties until IUP took the lead for good at 55-54 with three minutes left. Neither team led by more than six points until the final two minutes.

“It was a rock fight,” said IUP coach Joe Lombardi.

“A slugfest,” Cal coach Danny Sancomb added.

And it was a game Cal (23-10) could have won had the Vulcans shot better, both from the field and from the free-throw line. The Vulcans shot only 29 percent in the first half, 33 percent for the game and made 15 of 23 free throws.

Still, the Vulcans were right there with two minutes remaining.

“Disappointed,” Sancomb said. “This team is a special group. We just fell short. I can’t say enough about our basketball team. It’s a great group of men who represented the university to the fullest.”

And narrowed the gap between Cal and IUP.

“My first year here (2018-19), we dressed six guys,” Sancomb said. “A lot of people laughed at us and kicked us.

“Now, (IUP) is a little deeper than we are. They were playing more bodies than we were. They’re also more experienced. We have only two guys who had played in an NCAA tournament game before Saturday.”

The Vulcans, however, played with more poise than could have been expected in defeating Fairmont State and West Virginia State in the first two rounds of the regional. Against IUP, the Vulcans led 54-53 after a free throw by Zyan Collins. That came with less than four minutes to play and moments after Philip Alston and Brent Pegram, the Vulcans’ top two scorers, each drew their fourth personal fouls.

IUP’s Ethan Porterfield, who has shown a knack for hitting big shots against Cal, made a five-footer while in heavy traffic to give the Crimson Hawks the lead for good. On IUP’s next possession, Porterfield made a three-pointer from the right corner that made it 58-54.

“That was a momentum-changer,” Lombardi said of Porterfield’s three. “So many games are won and lost in the last four minutes. That shot gave the game a whole new climate.”

The game, which was played in an atmosphere similar to some of the epic Cal-IUP battles 30 years ago, was then won by the Crimson Hawks at the free-throw line. They closed the game by making 10 consecutive foul shots.

Cal’s only field goal down the stretch was a driving layup by point guard Brent Pegram with 28 seconds left.

“They made plays down the stretch and we didn’t,” Sancomb said. “Porterfield hit the big three from the corner, the only one he attempted. Maybe it was a little fatigue on our part. Down the stretch they were fresher than us.”

Armoni Foster led IUP with 19 points and was 8-for-8 at the free-throw line. Porterfield scored 16 and Dave Morris had 12.

All five Cal starters scored in double figures, led by Pegram’s 15. Collins and Preston Boswell each had 11, and Philip Alston and Keith Palek scored 10 each. Alston grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

“IUP has lost four games in two years. That’s impressive,” Sancomb said. “We’re going to get there. We’re going to work hard to catch IUP and win the league and the regional.”

Both teams appeared to have big-game jitters as each had more turnovers than field goals in the first half. There were nine lead changes and eight ties in the opening 20 minutes and neither team led by more than four points.

Collins made a three-pointer from the left wing, and on the next possession was fouled and made two free throws with 1:51 left in the half to give the Vulcans a 25-22 lead. Cal did not score again before halftime.

IUP’s little-used Bryce Radford drained a three from the win and Armoni Foster’s two free throws with 36 seconds to play gave the Crimson Hawks a 27-25 halftime lead.

Cal had 12 turnovers in the first half. IUP had 11 turnovers and shot 36 percent.