Fayette's Fast Pace Too Much for Greater Allegheny
McKeesport, PA - Saturday's matchup between Penn State Fayette, the Eberly Campus and Penn State Greater Allegheny created an uptempo, physical game between the familiar foes. The Roaring Lions ran away with the victory, as Fayette left Pittsburgh on the upside of a 106-91 shootout.
Senior forward Matt McKenna led all scorers with 23 points. McKenna was only two assists shy of the school's first triple double performance, as he also grabbed 15 rebounds. All of McKenna's boards cme off of the defensive side of the glass. There wasn't much room for offensive rebounding, as the Roaring Lions shot 51% from the field, 35% from behind the arc, and went eight for nine from the charity stripe. Greater Allegheny shot 33 free throws.
"This was a big win for us, and we got great minutes from every guy on the team," commented Roaring Lion coach Mookie John after the game. John added, "Dierre (Jenkins) played one of his best games in a Roaring Lion uniform. He guarded (former All-American Petrie) Addison, and really stepped up defensively and offensively in terms of production and numbers. Dierre's also been boxing out and rebounding the ball better than he ever has."
Following McKenna in the scoring column was Senior forward Jacob Bronder, who had a double-double performance day with 20 points and 15 rebounds in front of his hometown friends and family. Junior guard Luke Williams continued to shine on both ends of the court, as he finished with 16 points. Jenkins finished with 14 points, nailing four three pointers on the day.
Junior point man C.J. Gaddis finished with eight points and eight assists in only 23 minutes of action. "I got into early foul trouble , and we didn't miss a beat," remarked Gaddis. His comments were in reference to Sophomore guards Dominick Jackson and Tony Bristol. The two combined for 14 points and five rebounds. Freshman guard Jeffery Waters also chipped in with six points while Gaddis was sidelined.
Other Roaring Lions in the scoring column were Freshmen forward Donnie Henderson and guard Zac Cooney with two apiece.
The Roaring Lions are back in action Tuesday night when they host Penn State DuBois. Fayette won the first meeting 99-76. The game will be broadcast by WMBS 590 AM Radio.