Fayette Men's Basketball Takes Runner-up in PSUAC Championships
STATE COLLEGE- The Roaring Lions were set to take on Mont Alto Tuesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center for the PSUAC Championships. Fayette picked up right where they left off after taking down Penn State York in the semi-finals, by coming out strong taking an 11 point lead in the first half. Despite having that lead in the first half, the Roaring Lions would end the 2015-16 Season as runners-up in the PSUAC Finals.
On Feb. 23 Tuesday night, the Roaring Lions were led, once again, by seniors Luke Williams and Brandon Cunningham, who went out with a bang. Luke Williams led the charge scoring 11 points in the first half, and then later on adding another 11 for a team high total of 21 on the night. Brandon Cunningham was a close second, tallying 18 points throughout the game. Cunningham was on fire in the first half, scoring all 18 of his points and going 6 for 11 on his field goals plus 5 for 6 on his free throws. Spencer Perieff also had another strong showing. Perieff was unstoppable from the three point line, going 4 for 5 on the night, while hitting some crucial shots. Perieff would finish the night with 12 points and a team high of seven rebounds. C.J. Gaddis, the third senior on the team, would finish off the night tallying a team high of 7 assists.
On the other side of the court, Mont Alto was led by freshman, Jalen Smith. Smith netted a team high of 19 points while adding 15 rebounds, posting his sixth double-double on the year. Junior, Jerome Evans was not far behind Smith, finishing the night off by posting his 9th double-double, sinking 16 points while grabbing 11 rebounds.
Fayette had the lead going into half time with a score of 41 to 39.
Fayette's shooters were hot the whole night, edging Mont Alto in 3-point shooting by hitting 29.0% of their three pointers compared to Altos 20.8%. The Roaring Lions were also the better team from the free throw line, making an impressive 76.5% (13-17) while Mont Alto also made an impressive 75.0% of their free throws.
The Fayette Men's Basketball team finished off their season with a 15-11 overall record and 14-4 PSUAC record, putting up some tough battles in playoffs.
On behalf of the Penn State Fayette Athletic Department, we would like to congratulate the Fayette men's basketball on an outstanding season, and also like to wish the seniors, Luke Williams, C.J. Gaddis, and Brandon Cunningham the best of luck in their future.
Photo Credited: Lori C. Padilla