Defensive pressure helps Lions drop #4 Mont Alto

Uniontown, PA- Point Guard CJ Gaddis (Brownsville, Pa.) led all scorers with 21 points, while dishing out 5 assists to help the Roaring Lions defeat #3 Penn State Mont Alto 83-70 in a key PSUAC cross-over game on Friday night.

The victory gives the Roaring Lions (7-2), their third consecutive win and fourth in the last five. Fayette executed a defensive game plan to near perfection to beat the nation's third ranked team in the USCAA DII.  "We worked on keeping (Mont Alto) out of the paint.  We talked about keeping (Mont Alto) out of our paint.  We know they can penetrate, and if they get inside, they follow their shots very well," remarked, Fayette Head Coach Mookie John.

The defensive pressure held Mont Alto (14-3, 8-2 PSUAC) to shooting just 36 percent from the field, while missing all 12 of their three point attempts in the game.

Junior forward Matt McKenna (Pittsburgh, Pa.) followed Gaddis in the scoring column, but led the Lions in rebounding, tallying 20 and 10 for his fourth straight double-double.  With only two points and 1 a single  rebound at the half, McKenna exploded in the second half to help the Roaring Lions keep the lead for the duration of the contest.

In a see-saw first half, the lead changed four times and the game was tied on four other occasions.  Junior guard Darius Mack (Washingtion, D.C.) nailed a deep 3 pointer with 5:30 left in the first to give Fayette a 23-20 Lead.  After a few lead changes, Jacob Bronder's (Jefferson Hills, Pa.) foul shot and a Gaddis steal, layup, and subsequent free throw gave the Lions a 33-32 lead late in the first.  Consecutive made baskets by Mont Alto's Colin Easter and Jerome Evans was quickly countered with three consecutive long range three pointers by Gaddis, McKenna, and Spencer Perieff (Lahaina, Hawaii to end the first half, giving Fayette a 42-36 cushion at the break.

Mont Alto scored four quick points to start the second stanza that were quickly countered by a strong post move by Bronder and a fast break layup by sophomore guard Luke Williams (Maui, Hawaii), who finished with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and some big foul shots down the stretch.  Bronder rounded out the double-digit scoring for Fayette, finishing with 17 points and 7 rebounds.

Down the stretch, Gaddis showed his presence as a floor general, controlling the tempo.  He, along with Williams nailed 8 foul shots down the stretch to seal the victory for the Lions.  

Fayette also saw some very strong bench play throughout the game, as Perieff went two-for-three from long range and also pulled down three big rebounds in the last four minutes of play.  Freshman guard Dominick Jackson (Minneapolis, Minn.) tallied three points, thress assists, and three steals in the effort.  "Sean Smoggie (Carmichaels, Pa.) comes in with a level of intensity that we haven't see from a freshman since Brandon Cunningham's inaugural campaign.  He does whatever he's told with extremely high energy," John noted.

Fayette hosts the nation's top-ranked team, Penn State York, on Saturday at at 3 PM.  The game will be broadcast live on WMBS 590AM Radio and Fayette Television Channel 77.