Box Score

INDIANA, PA - Ashton Smith (Scarborough, ON/West Hill Collegiate) was just three assists shy of his first career triple-double as the IUP men's basketball team defeated Millersville 81-56 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover action Saturday evening.

The Marauders took control early in the game thanks to seven quick points by Larry Coleman, but the Crimson Hawks would respond midway through the first half when Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) had a layup and three-pointer on back-to-back possessions. Minutes later Smith would dial long distance to give IUP a 27-18 lead with 8:51 to play in the period.

From there, the Crimson Hawks would not look back, pushing their lead to 18 over the next four minutes on a pair of layups by Marcel Souberbielle (Montevideo, Uruguay/Uruguayan American School) and a Julian Sanders (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) three.

Jaymes Miller slipped into the lane for a layup to stop the run for Millersville, but Danny Ayebo would deposit a pair of layups on consecutive trips down the floor to extend the IUP lead.

Sanders capped a dominant first half by the Crimson Hawks with a three-pointer in the period's waning seconds to give IUP a 54-25 lead at the break. Sanders had a team-high 13 points in the first half, while Chance chipped in 12 points and four assists.

Millersville would try to keep IUP within striking distance early in the second half when Larry Grant converted a pair of free throws and C.J. Scott drained a three-pointer, but IUP would go inside to Souberbielle and Josh Wiegand (Whiteford, MD/John Carroll) to seal the victory for the Crimson Hawks.

Smith filled up the stat sheet for IUP, tallying 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, while Sanders finished with 16 points and four assists. Chance added 12 points and four assists for the Crimson Hawks, while Wells had nine points, three boards and five dimes.

C.J. Scott led the way for Millersville with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field, while Grant addded 10 points and two assists.

The Crimson Hawks begin PSAC West play this Wednesday when they host rival Cal at the Kovalchick complex. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.