Strong Second Half Pushes Fayette Past Dubois
Lemont Furnace, PA- Penn State Fayette, the Eberly Campus needed a strong second half to overcome a one point halftime deficit, beating Penn State DuBois 106-77 in a PSUAC match up on Tuesday.
DuBois took control of most of the first half, and they took a 48-47 lead into the locker room, leaving the Roaring Lions somewhat stumped. For the duration of the first half, the Roaring Lions traded baskets with DuBois, but Fayette had no answer for the DuBois penetration or outside shooting. The Roaring Lions had as much as a five point lead in the first half, but the workmanlike effort of Penn State DuBois showed in the rebounding margin at the half. DuBois was able to grab 7 first half offensive rebounds, putting everyone of them back for points.
Penn State Fayette's Senior forward Jacob Bronder paced the Roaring Lions in the first half with 20 points. Bronder got the majority of the help on offense from Junior guard Luke Williams, as he poured in 14 before the break. Fayette's leading scorer, Senior forward Matt McKenna was held to only five points in the first half, going only 1-4 from the field. Playing half of the minutes in the first half, Sophomore guard Dominick Jackson brough some fire off the bench, grabbing three rebounds and nailing two key foul shots to give Fayette a brief lead. Bronder's layup at the buzzer on a feed from Williams pulled the Roaring Lions within 1 at the break.
The second half began much like the first, with DuBois separating themselves even more from Fayette. DuBois quickly took a 53-47 lead before McKenna and Williams took over. The rest of the Roaring Lions followed suit, as the defensive energy quickly grew. Sophomore guard Tony Bristol, Junior point guard C.J. Gaddis, Jackson, and Williams began playing defense 96 feet from the hoop, and Fayette forced turnovers. Turnovers quickly turned to baskets, and the Roaring Lions came alive. McKenna and Williams accounted for all but eleven of Fayette's second half points.
Senior Dierre Jenkins nailed a three and made a layup. Jackson contributed a three the old fashioned way with a strong take to the hoop. Bronder added a layup near the end of the game.
Gaddis finished with 12 assists on the evening, and continues to stay atop the USCAA and PSUAC.
The Roaring Lions host Penn State Mont Alto on Valentine's Day in their final game of the regular season. Penn State will honor their Senior basketball players following the women's game, which is slated for 5:30PM. The men's game is scheduled to tip at 7:30PM and will be broadcast by WMBS 590 AM Radio.