Box Score

Cheyney, Pa. - Just one game removed from scoring 108 points, the Millersville men's basketball team shot 32.3 percent from the field and dropped an 80-64 decision to Cheyney in Cope Hall Wednesday evening.

Cope Hall, a notoriously difficult place to play, took its toll on the young Marauders (9-11, 4-5 PSAC East). Millersville's two most consistent offensive players over the last two months--Demond Vance and Jaymes Miller--struggled mightily. Miller had scored double-figures in nine straight entering the game but managed six on 2-of-10 shooting. Vance, who was named PSAC East Athlete of the Week after scoring a career-high 33 points on Saturday against Bloomsburg, failed to score a point and went 0-of-6 from the field.

Overshadowed by his team's struggles, senior Bernard Brown turned in a monster performance of 18 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks. His point and rebound totals set season highs but neither was nearly enough to overcome Cheyney's second-half blitz of seven 3-pointers. It was the first time in six games that Millersville failed to score at least 70 points. The loss also kept the Marauders from winning three-straight games for the fourth time this year. Cheyney (14-7, 4-5 PSAC East), which avenged an earlier loss to Millersville with the win, crept back into the postseason picture. Millersville, Cheyney and East Stroudsburg are all tied for the fourth playoff spot with 4-5 division records.

After the first 16 minutes, the game had all the makings of another nail-biter. Rob Wyley scored for two to put Millersville up 24-21 with 4:37 left in the first. Cheyney, however, used eight points from Robert Townsend to close the period on a 13-0 run. The home team took a 34-24 lead into the break.

Millersville opened the second with an 8-0 run of its own, though, using a bucket from Brown and threes from Mike Seibert and Mike Holley. But Holley's triple signaled the end of Millersville's run, and Cheyney quickly pulled away using a 3-point barrage from Bruce Kennedy and Sharif Bray. Kennedy finished the game with 20 points and hit 6-of-10 threes.

David Burton, who totaled 23 points and 11 rebounds in the first meeting with Millersville, 16 points, 16 rebounds and six assists. Townsend led all scorers with 22 off the bench.

Millersville received 15 points from Holley and a career-high 12 from Anthony Coleman.

Millersville, now 1-8 on the road this year, travels to Mansfield for an important PSAC East match-up Saturday. Game time is 3 p.m.