IUP (14-8 overall, 4-4 PSAC-West) AT CLARION (14-8, 4-3)
PSAC-WEST MEN’S BASKETBALL
DATE: Feb. 14, 2004 LOCATION: Tippin Gym, Clarion, Pa. TIME: 8 p.m.
LAST GAMES: Clarion lost to California 66-43, while IUP beat Lock Haven 74-52
NEXT UP: Clarion hosts Slippery Rock at 8 p.m. Wed., while IUP is at Edinboro at 7:30 p.m. Wed.
CLARION LAST 10 GAMES: 4-6 IUP LAST 10 GAME: 4-6
CLARION-IUP SERIES LAST 10 GAMES: Clarion leads 6-4 (Includes 2 playoff games)
THIS SEASON: Clarion won 100-83 at IUP Jan. 24 … Clarion shot a school record 70 percent (14-20) from three-point range … Michael Clarke had 29 points and Terrance Vaughns and Justin Collins had 24 points.
RECENT CLARION-IUP SERIES HISTORY: Clarion has won 3 straight games and 4 straight regular-season games. IUP defeated Clarion in the 2002 PSAC Playoffs 62-55 returning a favor from 2001 when the Golden Eagles topped IUP in the PSAC Playoffs 69-63. Clarion’s sweep of IUP last season was the first Clarion sweep since 1983-84. The Eagles are looking to sweep IUP in two straight seasons for the first time since 1964-65 & 1965-66.
CLARION LEADERS: Michael Clarke – 13.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 14 blocks; Terrance Vaughns – 12.4 ppg, 2.7 apg, 48 3-pointers; Ryan Wells – 10.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.0 spg, 1.7 apg; Justin Collins – 9.2 ppg, 50 3-pointers.
CLARION NOTES: Clarion has lost four straight games but hasn’t lost five in a row since 1995-96 … Shooting has been the biggest woe for Clarion with the Eagles hitting just 31.1% of its shots and 15.4% of its three’s in the past two games … Ryan Wells has been a bright light during the cold streak hitting 53.8% of his shots while averaging 16.0 ppg and 10.0 rpg in the last two contests. Michael Clarke is adding 10.5 ppg, 11.0 rpg during that stretch … Clarion is starting a stretch where it plays three of its next four games at home.
SPECIAL EVENTS PLANNED FOR SLIPPERY ROCK GAME FEB. 18
This coming Wednesday will be an action packed PSAC-West double-header with Slippery Rock with two special events planned for the evening.
The University Activities Board/Student Senate/the Clarion Athletic Department/Interfraternity Council/Panehellenic Council/InterHall Council is sponsoring “Spirit Night”.
“Spirit Night” activities include 350 “Eagle’s Nest” T-Shirts being given to the first 350 Clarion students through the door starting at 5:30 p.m. … Other free giveaways including coupons to local restraints will be randomly given out during the night, and if the Clarion men’s and women’s teams combine to score 140 points everyone in attendance will receive coupons for $5 off one of two “Campus Fest” events including the April 25 concert featuring Fuel as the headline act along with Diamond Rio and Kelis or the April 28 comedian show given by Jim Brewuer.
In a separate celebration Wednesday during halftime of the men’s game, former Clarion football great Reggie Wells, Jr., now of the Arizona Cardinals, will have his Clarion jersey No. 56 retired.