MBB drops game at DuBois

DuBois, PA - All season long, the young Penn State Fayette men's basketball team has been built around defense, but Tuesday night, it was the defense that came up short as it fell at Penn State DuBois, 76-67.

"I think our defense let us down tonight which was disappointing because it has been our staple all season," said first-year head coach Marcus Thomas. "Our inability to keep them out of the paint was a huge problem for us, simply by spreading us out and attacking.  We couldn't stay in front, our head was not in front consistently and we were not very good overall."

DuBois (13-11, 9-9) shot 51% (29-57) for the game while Fayette (9-15, 7-11) shot 40% (25-62).

There were 18 lead changes in the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) game, although Fayette's biggest lead was four points, 13-9, with 15:11 to go in the first half.  Fayette trailed 40-35 at the half.

Tavian Mozie (McClellandtown, PA/Albert Gallatin HS) finished with a game-high 24 points and Josh Hankins (Phoenix, AZ/Pinnacle HS) recorded a double-double with 23 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.  The other 10 Fayette players who saw time combined for 20 points.

"Offensively, we settled for jump shots, far too often," Thomas said. "We made a few jumpers early and got too comfortable instead of getting inside and using our size advantage."

Russell Gariepy led DuBois with 21 points.

Fayette closes the season on Friday when it hosts Penn State Beaver (13-11, 10-8).  Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.

"I hope we are able to get back to Fayette basketball which starts on defense," he said. "We want to end the season on a high note."

For more information on the men's basketball team, go to https://www.psfathletics.com/sports/mbkb/index or follow us on Instagram @fayetteathletics.