IUP men’s basketball coach Joe Lombardi says guard Garvin Clarke has won his eligibility appeal and will be back tonight when the Crimson Hawks open play in the PSAC West by taking on Mercyhurst at the KCAC. It’s big news for IUP, which has been playing without both Clarke and Dallas Dillard since December 19th. Clarke is averaging 15.2 points and 5.4 assists per game this season.
Dillard had lower body surgery last week and is out for the season.
Lombardi says Jaylen Stewart has filled in for Clarke at the point but he can play either guard position, and can even be on the floor with the other two guards, Clarke and Bryce Radford.
Lombardi says IUP will face stiffer competition against Mercyhurst than they did last week against Shepherd.
IUP is 8-4 coming into the game and 5-1 in the PSAC. Mercyhurst enters the game at 8-7, and 4-3 in the conference.
The 8-4 IUP women tangle with the 11-1 Mercyhurst women in tonight’s first game. The Lakers lost their first two games this season out of conference, but have won 11 in a row since. They’re 7-0 in the PSAC while IUP is 5-1.
Coach Craig Carey says Mercyhurst has a strong lineup that plays great team basketball.
The pregame for tonight’s doubleheader begins at 5:15 on 92.5 FM U92.
IUP’s Teirra Preston is the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week after averaging 8.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.3 steals against East Stroudsburg, Shepherd, and Daemen.
The IUP women have returned to the D2CSC Atlantic Region Poll this week. They’re ninth in the region. They were last listed in the November 27th release.
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