Box Score
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -
Cory Blake poured in 20 points,
Ben Mingledough added 16, as visiting West Chester defeated homestanding Bloomsburg, 81-68, in a PSAC East men's basketball contest inside Nelson Field House.
West Chester (18-7, 11-4 PSAC East) takes the inside track to second place, and the first-round bye in the postseason conference tournament that comes with it, as a result of its win over Bloomsburg (14-10, 9-5). The Golden Rams split the season series with the Huskies and are one and one-half games ahead of them in the Eastern Division standings. The Rams have also now won six of their last seven down the stretch to clinch second place in the Eastern Division.
West Chester shot 57.7 percent (15-for-26) in the second half, including 6 of 8 from 3-point range to keep Bloomsburg at bay. The Rams opened up a 10-point lead on the Huskies after 20 minutes of play.
Troy Hockaday came close to a double-double, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds in the game. Blake's 20 points tied his season high set at Shippensburg last month.
West Chester has its bye on Saturday and will conclude the regular-season portion of its schedule one week from tonight at division-leading and nationally ranked East Stroudsburg. Bloomsburg has two games left on its slate (at Mansfield, vs. Kutztown). The Huskies will have to win both of those contests and hope for the Golden Rams to lose at East Stroudsburg if they want to tie WCU for second place in the league standings.
The tie-breaker scenerio would fall to the fourth criteria, which is wins against NCAA Division II opponents, where West Chester would hold an 8-6 advantage over Bloomsburg
