Lions drop heartbreaker to Lehigh Valley

BETHLEHEM, Pa.- Fayette opened its first eastern trip of the year at Stabler Arena where the Roaring Lions faced Penn State Lehigh Valley.

The game was a back and forth battle to the buzzer, as the Lions fell to Penn State Lehigh Valley (2-2), 4-4) by a final score of 72-68.  Despite forcing 25 turnovers, the Roaring Lions were unable to get each other going, as they tallied only 4 assists as a team.  "If we don't get out ahead of each other and share the ball, we're not going to find ourselves in the win column too often," said Fayette Head Coach Mark John.  The contest saw 16 lead changes and 6 ties throughout the 40 minutes of play.

Trailing by 3 at the half, Fayette fought back to secure a nine point lead with a little over four minutes left in the game.  Rushed shots and failed free throw conversions proved to be the Roaring Lions' demise, as Lehigh Valley took full advantage of Fayette mistakes. 

Three point shooting played a pivotal role in the loss, as the Roaring Lions went a dismal five for 25 behind the arc, also giving away the rebounding margin by three.

Jacob Bronder (Pittsburgh, Pa.) finished the game with his third straight double-double, leading all scorers with 21 points and tallying 11 rebounds.  Darius Mack (Washington, D.C.) and Luke Williams (Maui, Hawaii) followed Bronder with 11 points each.