Dover (Nov. 15, 2008) --- Guards Tyrone Smith and Hakeem Townsend combined for 44 points to lead Division II Cheyney to a 67-64 upset of Delaware State in the Hornet Roundball Classic in Memorial Hall Saturday evening.
The Wolves outscored the Hornets 5-1 in the last 90 seconds to hand Delaware State its first loss of the season (1-1).
Smith led all players with 28 points. He was 10-for-18 from the field, including 2-of-5 from three-point territory.
Townsend added 16 points, highlighted by five three-point field goals (5-for-10). He put the Wolves ahead for good, 65-63, on a three-pointer with 41 seconds left in the game.
Delaware State pulled to within 65-64 on a free throw by Fred Bouie with 12 seconds left.
Dominique Curry and Townsend each hit free throws in the last four seconds to close out the scoring.
The Hornets had the game's final possession with 0.7 seconds remaining, but the inbounds pass was knocked away by a Cheyney defender as time expired.
“Cheyney outplayed us in nearly every aspect of the game,” said Delaware State head coach Greg Jackson. “It's very disappointing that our effort was lacking, and I have to take the blame for that. Still, Cheyney deserves a great deal credit for outplaying us in our own gym.”
Delaware State appeared ready to play in the early going. The Hornets opened up a 14-7 lead on a three-point shot by Kris Douse with 13:48 left in the first half.
Cheyney answered with a 12-5 run, and tied the game at 19 on Smith's first three-pointer with 7:38 left in the half.
The Wolves scored 10 of the last 12 points in the first half to take a 32-26 lead at intermission.
Cheyney opened up a nine-point lead on two occasions in the second half, the last on a jumper by Maurice McPherson to make it 37-28 with 18:09 left in the second half.
Delaware State fought back, and regained the lead 55-54 when Bouie capped off a 12-4 run with a three-pointer to give the Hornets a 55-54 lead with 6:48 left to play.
Three were three lead changes and two ties in the last five minutes of the game.
Donald Johnson was high scorer for Delaware State with a career-high 26 points. His performance was highlighted by four three-point field goals.
“This is a very difficult defeat because we failed to execute at key points in the game,” said Johnson. “Hopefully, this experience will motivate us to improve.”
Frisco Sandidge and Arturo DuBois added 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds each for the Hornets.
Delaware State will have little time to deal with the loss. The Hornets begin an eight-game road swing on Monday (Nov. 17) at Lehigh.
