Late Heroics Lift Roaring Lions Past Schuylkill

December 10, 2011

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN, Pa. - Junior Will Gaines (Capitol Heights, Md.) hit a jumper with four seconds remaining in the game as Penn State Fayette survived a slim 71-69 win over host Penn State Schuylkill in a Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference contest.

The Roaring Lions (4-5, 3-0 PSUAC) earned their fourth consecutive win, and remain the only undefeated PSUAC team in conference play.

Fayette held a 40-38 halftime advantage, and the teams traded baskets for much of the second half. Tied at 69 with 11 seconds to play, Fayette gave the ball to Gaines, who's short-range jumper found the bottom of the net with four seconds to play. A last second effort by Schuylkill went unsuccessful as Fayette escaped with their third conference win.

Freshman Brandon Cunningham (Rancho Cucamonga, Ca.) led the Roaring Lions with 21 points while notching four assists. Junior James Pratt (Uniontown, Pa.) added 11 points, seven rebounds and a team-high five assists, while also collecting four steals. Junior David Winns (Washington, DC) added 12 points to round out Fayette's double-figure scorers.

The Roaring Lions created 21 turnovers, including 10 steals and outrebounded the Lions 33-30. Nearly identical from the field, Fayette went 25-for-53 (47.2 percent) while Schuylkill shot 27-for-57 (47.4 percent). But the difference was from three-point range, as Schuylkill struggled from behind the arc, going 0-for-14 while Fayette made five three-pointers.

Schuylkill was led by Patrick Killian with 12 points, while Dave Hardy added 10 points for the Lions.

Fayette returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 1:00 p.m. as they host Saint Vincent in a non-conference rematch. The Bearcats defeated the Roaring Lions 92-51 on Nov. 21 in an early season match-up.