ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's basketball team defeated Cheyney, 68-52, Saturday night at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. Bill Weaver scored a career-high 22 points and the Lakers held Cheyney to 14 points in the first half on their way to a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover win.


 
After a slow start to the game, Tyreese Oden gave the Wolves a 7-6 lead with 13:04 left in the first half. Hurst held the visitors scoreless for the next 6:37 of action, going on a 10-0 run in the timeframe. Andrew Rickard hit a three-pointer, Jonathan Ouegnin made a layup, and Matt Lee drilled a trey. Jamal Turner capped the spurt with a tip-in of a missed Lee three.
 
A three-point play by Deshawn Curtis got Cheyney within six, but Rickard connected from downtown with 5:25 remaining. Brandon Baylor made it 19-12 with four minutes to go, but the Lakers then went on a 9-0 burst, highlighted by two Callon Dailey baskets. Michael Peays made a jumper with 66 seconds to play to put his team down 13 at the half.
 
The 14 points scored in the first twenty minutes are the fewest by a Laker defense in at least 10 seasons. Hurst allowed 15 points to Gannon in the first half on February 23, 2006. Cheyney hit 6-19 field goal attempts, missing all seven three-point tries in the first frame.
 
A Weaver throwdown got the second half started and then Turner made a layup for a 31-15 advantage with 18:34 left. Lee posted a triple for an 18-point edge with 17:02 to play and then Mercyhurst began a march to the free throw line. Weaver scored six consecutive points at the charity stripe, as the Lakers scored 10 straight points at the line, expanding the margin to 21.
 
Freshman Terrence Ingram broke the string with a trey to make it 49-24 with 12:20 on the clock. The parade to the line continued after that, however. All told, Hurst shot 29 free throws in the second half, converting 21 of them. The visitors made it to the free throw line 16 times, making 12.
 
Weaver hit 12-14 free throw tries on his way to his personal-best 22 points. He also pulled down a game-high nine boards, including five offensive. He added two blocks and two steals in 30 minutes. Lee contributed 11 points and five rebounds, while Rickard finished with 10 points, including two threes.
 
Baylor and Anthony Juene each scored 12 points for the Wolves. Mercyhurst outrebounded Cheyney, 39-24, including a 16-5 advantage on the offensive glass. Hurst shot 39 percent from the floor and Cheyney made 40.5 percent.
 
With the win, Coach Gary Manchel's squad improved to 8-4 overall and 6-2 in the PSAC. Saturday marked the final day of crossover games, as teams will now play divisional games the rest of the schedule. Indiana (Pa.) is 7-1, leading the Western Division, while Hurst, Clarion, and Gannon are all tied at 6-2 in conference action.
 
Hurst tips off Western Division play Wednesday, January 11, at Clarion. The contest is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start.
 
For a box score of the Cheyney-Mercyhurst game, please click here.