No. 17 Fayette Earns 79-64 Win Over Penn State New Kensington

January 18, 2012

UNIONTOWN, Pa. - A quartet of Penn State Fayette players ended in double figures as the Roaring Lions knocked off Penn State New Kensington, 79-64, in a Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference contest in the Community Center Main Arena Wednesday night.

Freshman Brandon Cunningham (Rancho Cucamonga, Ca.) paced Fayette (7-7, 6-0 PSUAC) with 19 points and six steals, while junior David Winns (Washington, DC) notched a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Winns was joined in the double-double category by junior James Pratt (Uniontown, Pa.), who recorded 10 rebounds to go along with his 10 points. Junior Ryan Hart (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added 15 points for the Roaring Lions, rounding out the double figure scorers.

Despite a lukewarm shooting night, Fayette's defense was able to hold New Kensington to under 32 percent from the field, while shooting 37 percent on offense.  Senior Joshua Tomson (Greensburg, Pa.) added three three-point field goals and three assists for Fayette, but the Roaring Lions struggled behind the arc, making only seven shots in 32 attempts. However, the difference was made at the free throw line--Fayette went a season-best 14-for-15 while the Lions made 19 of 29 attempts.

The Roaring Lions never trailed on the night and held an advantage in nearly every statistical category, especially in the interior lane. Fayette outrebounded New Kensington, 54-44, and scored 38 points in the paint. In a relatively clean game, Fayette forced 15 Lions' turnovers, scoring 23 points off those takeaways.

New Kensington was led by Justin Reed with 23 points, while Daryl Harrington added 16 points and three assists. Shaquille Hager added seven points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and three steals for the Lions.

Fayette returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 3:00 p.m. for a crossover conference showdown with Penn State Scranton in the Community Center Main Arena.