Time Well Spent
Practice pays off in IUP's 84-73 win over Pitt-Johnstown
Joe Lombardi’s IUP basketball teams have always practiced what he calls “Hawk Time,” the last four minutes of a game when the Crimson Hawks are either trying to protect a lead or make a comeback.
It has been an effective tool in Lombardi’s 19 seasons at IUP, so he decided to see if he could expand its reach in practice this week.
Lombardi implemented the “First Four” — designed to get his team a better start to the game — and the “Middle Eight” — designed for a stronger finish to the first half and a stronger start to the second.
It worked, for the most part, in an 84-73 win over Pitt-Johnstown in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference game at the KCAC on Wednesday night.
IUP (8-8, 4-5 PSAC) jumped out to a 10-0 lead and stretched it to 21 at the start of the second half after failing to close the first half with a wider margin. The strong finish came in the form of a 10-4 run after Pitt-Johnstown (8-9, 4-7) pulled as close as five points with 3:17 remaining.
“The ‘First Four’ and ‘Middle Eight’ I started doing out of necessity,” Lombardi said. “I imagine it helps some. I don’t know if it helps a lot, but it’s worth giving it a try and seeing if some guys can get comfortable. I’m trying to create a comfort zone. With this much youth and inexperience, I’m just trying to create a comfort zone for every situation.”
The strategy is more about mindset than anything. In each session, four minutes are put on the clock and play commences after Lombardi decides what the score is and if his team is winning or losing.
The “First Four” was most critical for this team, which has often fallen into double-digit deficits in the first half.
“If you dominate the first four minutes, the rest will take care of itself,” IUP’s Damir Brooks said.
IUP did that against Pitt-Johnstown. The Hawks turned in one of their most consistent offensive performances of the season, shooting 56.1 percent overall (32-for-57), including 9-for-18 from 3-point range, and sinking 11 of 13 free throw attempts.
The only bad stretch of the first half came in the closing minute. With IUP leading by 20, the Hawks committed two turnovers that led to five points for Pitt-Johnstown and a 15-point margin at halftime.
IUP made up for that with a strong start to the second half but stumbled in the middle eight minutes while committing nine of its 15 turnovers and allowing Pitt-Johnstown to slice the margin to single digits with 8:55 to play and 4:40 left. With the margin at five going into “Hawk Time,” IUP scored on five of its last six possessions.
“I’m just looking for progress,” Lombardi said. “We won not because of the scoreboard; we won because we’re making progress. That’s a sign of maturity and that’s a breakthrough when you can carry it over. I’m looking for small developments, and this team is growing.”
Tyler Grove, a 6-foot-7 freshman forward, continued his progress, firing in 17 of his game- and career-high 22 points in the first half. He was 9-for-12 from the floor, including 4-for-6 from 3-point range.
“Teammates were just finding me,” Grove said. “My teammates set me up great and Coach drew up great plays. It was just my teammates finding me, and it was fun.”
“I tell him all the time once you get going nobody can stop you,” Brooks said. “He’s going to be great when he figures out the game. I can’t wait see how he develops.”
Brooks, a 6-6 junior, opened the game with a dunk — “That’s a strong start,” he said — and scored 17 points on 8-for-11 shooting. He joined freshman Ian Herring with seven rebounds to lead IUP’s 39-30 advantage on the boards. Herring also blocked four shots.
IUP’s third freshman, point guard Kymani Merraro, combined with junior guard Christian Moore for 30 points and they evenly split 12 assists. Moore, IUP’s leading scorer at 17.5 points per game, was 4-for-6 from the field and 5-for-5 from the line and set a career high with six assists. He committed only one turnover.
“We got some guys comfortable,” Lombardi said. “I always told my boys when they went out to play to play hard, have fun and be a great teammate. Simple. It’s not anything about accomplishment. If you do those three things, you won the day.”
Five Pitt-Johnstown players scored in double figures, led by senior guard Ryan Smith with 21 points.
The Mountain Cats, who lost for the sixth time in seven games, shot 39 percent in the first half and finished at 42.9 overall (30-for-70), including 6-for-17 from 3-point range. They committed only seven turnovers, and IUP had 15.
“Pitt-Johnstown has been playing better,” Lombardi said. “They lost a one-point game to Edinboro last week and won at Clarion on Saturday so they had some confidence coming in. Our guys did a good job offensively.”
IUP, 3-6 in its past nine games, plays host to Seton Hill (10-7, 3-6) on Saturday. Seton Hill started 9-2 but is 1-5 in its past six games.
The Griffins play a 2-3 zone defense.
“Part of the magic of their defense is that nobody plays it so it’s really hard to get ready for it,” Lombardi said. “They do great job with it.”
WEDNESDAY’S BOX SCORE
IUP 84, PITT-JOHNSTOWN 73
Pitt-Johnstown (8-9)
Forup 5-13 1-4 11, Dillon 5-10 0-0 13, Cugini 5-13 0-0 11, A.Bilinsky 2-5 33- 7, Smith 10-20 0-0 21, Kromka 3-5 3-4 10, Watts 0-3 0-0 0, Sechler 0-1 0-0 0, T.Bilinsky 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 30-70 (.429) 7-11 (.636) 73
IUP (8-8)
Brooks 8-11 1-2 17, Grove 9-12 4-6 22, Merraro 5-13 4-4 16, Furtun 1-3 1-1 3, Pickens 2-2 0-0 5, Herring 2-5 0-1 5, Triggs 1-5 0-0 2, Totals 32-57 (.561) 11-13 (.846) 84
Halftime — IUP 47-32. 3-point field goals — Pitt-Johnstown 6-17 (Dillon 3-5, Cugini 1-2, A.Bilinsky 0-1, Smith 1-5, Kromka 1-3), IUP 9-18 (Grove 4-6, Merraro 2-6, Moore 1-2, Furtun 0-1, Pickens 1-1, Herring 1-1). Rebounds — Pitt-Johnstown 30 (Forup 7), IUP 39 (Brooks, Herring 7). Assists — Pitt-Johnstown 10 (A.Bilinsky, Smith 3), IUP 17 (Merraro, Moore 6). Turnovers — Pitt-Johnstown 7, IUP 15. Total fouls — Pitt-Johnstown 13, IUP 14.
WEDNESDAY’S OTHER PSAC GAMES
Gannon 90, Slippery Rock 64
California 90, Clarion 74
Edinboro 99, Bryant & Stratton 62
Millersville 81, Mansfield 57
Kutztown 89, Bloomsburg 87
Shepherd 73, Lock Haven 64
East Stroudsburg 90, Shippensburg 87, OT