Box Score
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Troy Hockaday tied his career high with 24 points, and R.J. Griffin notched 17, to lead host West Chester to a 78-61 victory over visiting Cheyney in the PSAC opener for both schools inside Hollinger Field House Wednesday.
West Chester (3-1, 1-0 PSAC East) used an 11-0 run midway through the second half to turn a 51-47 game into a 62-47 advantage and never looked back against cross-county rival Cheyney (0-3, 0-1). Hockaday powered the run with six of the Golden Rams' 11 points in the spurt. The Golden Rams have now won three of the last four meetings between the two rivals.
Wednesday's showdown between two of the biggest rivals in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference marked the first time since 1986 that West Chester and Cheyney locked horns before the winter break and the first time since 1970 that they each did so within the first four games of the season.
The Rams opened up a 13-point lead by halftime on the strength of shooting 48.4 percent from the floor while holding the Wolves to just a 32.3 shooting percentage. That advantage increased to 15 on a layup from Eddie Mitchell (10 points). That is when Cheyney began its comeback.
The Wolves went on a 14-2 run over the next six minutes to pull within three (48-45). Calvin Brown scored seven of his 14 points on the night and blocked two shots during the streak. Brown fouled out, after receiving a technical foul, with 5:40 remaining. By then, West Chester had turned its three-point lead into a 15-point lead and had the game well in hand.
Ben Mingledough posted a career high of 13 points while Mitchell's 10 rounded out the Rams' contingent of four players in double figures. Matt Wisely led all rebounders tying his career high with 11 caroms. Powered by Mingledough's 13 and Hockaday's 24, West Chester's bench registered 45 points on the night. Hockaday made his season debut, after missing the first three games of the season nursing an injury suffered in preseason workouts.
Cheyney's Jerrod Johnson led the Wolves with 16 points. DeQuan Newton poured in 11 and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
West Chester will travel to Mansfield Saturday for another early-season conference showdown with the Mountaineers. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. in Decker Gym. Next Tuesday, the Golden Rams will return home for a non-conference tilt with Bowie State, before taking time off to celebrate Thanksgiving later in the week.
