Roaring Lions Capture First Win at Franciscan

November 22, 2011

STEUBENVILLE, Oh. - Penn State Fayette held on to a late second-half lead, and clipped host Franciscan University, 67-63, for the Roaring Lions' first win of the season. Fayette (1-4) knocked off the Barons for the program's first win over an NCAA Division III member school since Fayette reintroduced athletics in 1999. The win over Franciscan (1-3) comes as the Roaring Lions completed a brutal stretch of four games in five days.

The Roaring Lions placed four players in double figures, led by freshman guard Brandon Cunningham (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) who scored 17. Junior Ryan Hart (Pittsburgh, Pa.) notched the season's first double-double by scoring 14 and grabbing 11 rebounds.

Junior center David Winns (Washington, D.C.) had 13 points, while sophomore Tyler Van Olst (California, Pa.) added 11.

The game was close going into the final moments before junior guard Will Gaines (Capital Heights, Md.) calmly sank four free throws in the last 30 seconds to put the game away.

The Roaring Lions take an 11-day hiatus before returning to action, opening up their conference slate against Penn State York at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 4 in Fayette's Community Center Main Arena.