Box Score

CHEYNEY, PA - Julian Sanders (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) scored a career-high 33 points and pulled down six rebounds as the IUP men's basketball team came back from a nine point deficit at half time to defeat Cheyney by a score of 89-80 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover action Saturday.

IUP (3-0) came out with some hot shooting early on thanks to a pair of three's from Ashton Smith (Scarborough, ON/West Hill Collegiate) and 10 quick points from Sanders, but it was Cheyney who would take control midway through the first half. Jason Sabb hit a pair of three-pointers and Brandon Baylor added another for Cheyney as the Wolves went on a 10-3 run to take a 31-24 lead. 

The Crimson Hawks would respond, however, as Danny Ayebo used the free throw line to cut into the Wolves lead. Ayebo was fouled on consecutive trips down the floor and converted on all four foul shots to trim the Cheyney lead to just one with 3:17 to play in the first half, but the Wolves would answer in a large way.

Sabb poured in seven quick points and Jerrod Johnson added a free throw as Cheyney closed out the half on an 8-0 run to lead 44-35 at the break. Sanders poured in 16 points in the first half for IUP, while Smith added 10 points.

IUP would chip away the Cheyney lead in the second half, as Anthony Wells (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) ripped off seven unanswered points to pull the Crimson Hawks within five with under 15 minutes to play in the game. The Wolves would extend their lead thanks to jumpers by Sabb and Johnson, but Kevin Jones (Washington, DC/Bishop O'Connell) answered with a layup and a powerful slam dunk to keep IUP within striking distance.

From there, the Crimson Hawks would take to the foul line. IUP went 9-of-10 from the stripe over the next four minutes, capped by a pair of free throws from Sanders to give the Crimson Hawks their first lead since the 11:11 mark in the first half.

The Wolves would keep the game close thanks to a three from Johson and four more points from Sabb, but Smith would take over down the stretch for IUP. He connected on a pair of jumpers and two free throws to extend the Crimson Hawks lead, and drilled a three-pointer with just :35 seconds to play to seal the victory for IUP.

Smith finished with 21 points on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point territory, while Wells poured in 12 points and three assists. Ayebo was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line en route to his 12 points, while Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) finished with a game-high five assists.

Sabb led Cheyney with 35 points and seven rebounds, and was also 10-of-10 from the foul line. Baylor chipped in 19 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range, while Johnson finished with 14 points.

The Crimson Hawks will look to stay unbeaten tomorrow afternoon when they travel to Shippensburg. Tip off is set for 3:00 p.m.