Roaring Lions Knock Off #2 Andrews, On to Semifinals!

LEMONT FURNACE, Pa. –  Yesterday it was #7 Vermont Tech. Today it was #2 Andrews. The Roaring Lions continue to be the giant killers of the 2013 USCAA National Basketball Championships.

The Roaring Lions punched a ticket to their first-ever national semifinals with a thrilling 67-61 win over two-time defending champion Andrews University.

Brandon Cunningham (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) led Fayette with 22 points and grabbed six rebounds.  James Pratt (Uniontown, Pa.) added 18 and dished out four assists. David Winns (Washington, D.C.) notched the double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds.

Fayette went into halftime trailing the Cardinals by 12 at 33-21. Just under halfway in the second period,

James Pratt hit a pair of threes and Cunningham followed with one of his own and Pratt closed with a layup to tie the game at 46 with just under 10 to play.

Dierre Jenkins (Uniontown, Pa.) hit a three from the left corner to give Fayette a lead it would never relinquish at 49-46. Andrews closed to 62-61 on a Jerome Murray layup.

Jenkins buried another key  to give Fayette a four-point lead and a pair of Pratt free throws closed out the scoring and the Roaring Lions were on to the semifinals.              

Fayette will face Berkeley (NY) in the first semifinal on Friday at 3:00 p.m. in the Main Arena.