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Tuesday, March 2
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W4 Clarion
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at
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W1 California (8 p.m.)
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Fri, March 5; 6 p.m.
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E3 Kutztown
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at
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E2 Mansfield (7 p.m.)
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Sat, March 6; 7 p.m.
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E4 West Chester
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2003-04 Champion
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at
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E1 Cheyney (7 p.m.)
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Fri, March ; 8 p.m.5
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W3 IUP
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at
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W2 Edinboro (7 p.m.)
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Semifinals and finals at Cheyney
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PSAC Championship Game
(Cheyney, Pa.) -- The comeback kids did it again. IUP outscored Kutztown 50-34 in the second half to claim an 83-74 decision and win its third PSAC title in the last five years.
IUP trailed all three of its PSAC postseason contests at the half before second-half surges led them to three straight wins, the PSAC crown and an automatic bid to the NCAA East Regional.
The momentum seemed to be all Kutztown's heading into the locker room as the Golden Bears ended the first half on an 8-2 run to take a 40-33 advantage. IUP, however, battled back, scoring the first nine points of the second half.
For the next 10 minutes the game remained extremely tight with each team matching the other's baskets. The game was tied seven different times during that span.
At the 8:08 mark, IUP's Brian Kizzie hit two free throws, giving IUP a 62-60 advantage and a lead that it would never relinquish. The Indians pushed their lead to six at the 4:23 mark, only to see Kutztown register one more comeback attempt. Jeff Brickus cut the lead in half on the Golden Bears next possession with a 3-point attempt, and the teams traded two pointers, giving IUP a slim three-point margin with just 2:36 to play.
Both teams failed to score on their next possessions, but IUP's Donovan Thomas provided what proved to be the game winner when he stole the ball, raced in for a lay-up and was fouled on the play. Thomas would convert the three-point play with 1:41 left on the clock and a six-point lead that Kutztown was unable to answer. Another key was IUP's lopsided 28-11 rebounding advantage in the second half.
G.J. Macon was the stalwart for the champions, scoring 21 points and pulling down a game-high 16 rebounds. For his efforts, he was named the championship MVP. Thomas (16 pts), Kizzie (11 pts), Ed Peterson (11 pts, 5 ast) and Gary Franklin (10 pts) also hit double digits for IUP.
Kutztown was led by Frank Moultrie, who posted 20 points on 6 of 7 shooting, including 4 of 5 from the 3-point arc. Bilal Salaam (17 pts, 10 rb, 3 blk), Jeff Brickus (16 pts) and Bobby Eberhart (10 pts) were other key contributors.
The win gave IUP its fifth overall men's basketball championship. Kutztown, which has been in the finals only one other time, in 1988, was denied its first-ever title.