Feb. 12, 2008

CLARION - The Clarion University men's basketball team is looking to make a second-half of the season PSAC Playoff push when it hosts IUP at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The Golden Eagles (11-10 overall, 3-4 PSAC-West) are currently tied with Slippery Rock (5-16, 3-4) for the fourth and final PSAC playoff berth awarded the PSAC-West.

IUP (12-9, 4-2), meanwhile, sits 1 ½ games up on Clarion in third place in the conference. The Crimson Hawks own a 61-56 win over Clarion Jan. 16 at IUP.

Clarion is coming off a 73-63 loss Saturday at home to California and has been playing up-and-down basketball the past month.

Since a five-game winning streak from early December to early January, Clarion has not won nor lost more than two games in a row, and the Golden Eagles are 4-4 in their last eight games.

Freshman Mike Sherry, fresh off his fourth PSAC-West Rookie of the Week award, leads the team in scoring at 12.4 ppg, which is the 22nd best mark in the PSAC and the second-best among freshman. He has also hit 51 three-pointers while nailing 42.9 percent (51 of 119) his treys. He ranks third in the PSAC in three-point field goal percentage.

Josh Yanke is adding 11.9 ppg and 5.7 rpg, while Ricky Henderson chips in with 11.2 ppg and 8.7 rpg while also blocking 32 shots in 15 games. If Henderson had enough game played to qualify for the PSAC leaderboard, he would rank third in the conference in rebounding and third in blocked shots.

Damon Gross is chipping in with 9.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, while Lonnell Jones adds 8.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 3.09 apg (He ranks 14th in the PSAC in apg). Demetrius Graham is contributing 6.9 ppg and 3.86 apg, which ranks him sixth in the PSAC in assists. He is also second in steals with 2.67 spg.

Freshman Daryl Webb leads IUP. Webb is the top scoring and rebounding freshman in the conference averaging 16.8 ppg and 8.8 rpg. He is tied for sixth in the PSAC in scoring and is second in rebounding.

Sean Christiansen is adding 13.5 ppg for the Crimson Hawks, while Adeniyi Amadou chips in with 7.9 rpg, which are the seventh most in the PSAC.

IUP is coming off a 70-57 win at Lock Haven last Wednesday and is also in a win one lose one run that has seen the Crimson Hawks go 5-4 in their last nine contests.

Clarion returns to action at 3 p.m. Saturday at Shippensburg. NOTEBOOK

• Sherry has 248 points this season while ties him with Shamar Green for the second most points by a freshman since 2003. Terrance Vaughns had 301 points in 2003, his freshman season.

• Sherry has lifted his game in PSAC-West play averaging 14.3 ppg in the Golden Eagles first seven PSAC-West contests

• Clarion is looking for its first home win over IUP since an 82-78 victory in 2005. The Golden Eagles lost to IUP 100-70 at Tippin Gym two years ago and 77-72 to the Crimson Hawks last year. Clarion has won just once over IUP at Tippin Gym since 2004 and is just 2-6 vs. IUP in it past eight games after winning 5 of 7 to the team formerly known as Indians.

• Clarion has two home games left - Sunday Feb. 24 vs. Briarcliffe (2 p.m.) and Wednesday Feb. 27 vs. Edinboro (8 p.m.). The Golden Eagles are 7-4 at Tippin Gym this season but 4-6 away from the Eagles Nest.