Reading, Pa. (Jan. 14, 2015) - Alvernia University (8-6, 3-3) used a strong first half to lead it to a 86-65 victory over  Widener University (9-7, 2-5) Wednesday evening in Commonwealth Conference action.

After the Crusaders and the Pride exchanged buckets in their opening possessions, Alvernia created a 19-point lead throughout the first half. In the first three minutes, Mike Miller drained a three that started a seven point run for the 9-2 Crusader advantage. The Pride answered with a pair of jumpers, but another Miller three, along with a jumper from Harrison Deyo and a pair of free throws from Kirby Turner pushed the Alvernia margin to 16-6.

Holding a 20-10 lead midway through the half, Alvernia went on its third run of the game, netting ten unanswered points over two minutes. The Crusaders stayed hot from behind the arc as Charles Cooper and Miller notched the 26-10 lead. Cooper then locked in two free throws before Deyo put Alvernia up by 20. Widener used a jumper and a foul shot to cut the deficit to 17, but Turner followed up with a three of his own to keep Alvernia ahead 35-15.

The closest the Pride would come to the Crusaders in the first half was 36-20 with 3:36 when a Mark Pryzbykowski nailed a 3-pointer. However, Alvernia went 3-for-4 on the line with a pair from Miller and one from La'Key Brathwaite to lead them to a 41-22 advantage going into the second half.

Widener and Alvernia were equally matched in the second half, with the Pride netting just two points less than the Crusaders. Both teams posted a high-scoring half as Alvernia knocked in 45 points while Widener added on 43. Despite the second half effort by Widener, the distance the Crusaders created in the first half combined with their continued offensive scoring  proved too much for Widener to overcome. The Crusaders held their largest margin of the night in the second half, leading by 28 with an 80-52 lead with 3:23 left in the game.

Alex Shippen helped maintain the Crusaders lead in the second half, notching 12 points in the half with two 3-pointers and six made free throws. Miller continued to rack up points in the second half, netting 11.

Miller posted a career-high 24 points on the night, while Cooper added 17.

The Crusaders shot 70% from behind the arc, going 12-17. They were also reliable from the line, making 28-of-36 free throws.

Alvernia returns to action on Saturday, heading to Lebanon Valley College for Commonwealth Conference action at 3:00 pm.