MBB pulls out thrilling win

Playing for the first time in 34 days, the Penn State Fayette men's basketball team picked up a Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) win by downing Penn State Shenango Friday night, 90-86.

The game provided Fayette (7-8 overall, 3-6 PSUAC) with a gut check, and the team stepped up.  With Fayette leading by 17 points (36-19) with 9:28 to go in the first half, Shenango (7-12, 3-6) trimmed its deficit to 53-41 heading into the half.  With the momentum, Shenango took a 75-73 lead with 5:22 to go in the game.  However, Fayette executed down the stretch and pulled out the four-point win to end a two-game slide.

"I think the biggest key for us was how we kept it together after blowing that big lead," said first-year head coach Andy Hedrick. "Tave (Mozie) had a great game and his late three was huge."

With Fayette holding an 85-84 advantage with less than a minute to play, Mozie (McClellandtown, PA/Albert Gallatin HS) drained a three-pointer with 0:40 to go to give Fayette an 88-84 lead.  Shenango's Jashun Cobb scored with 0:30 to play, but Dom Boring (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster HS) calmy sank two free throws with 0:18 left and Fayette held on for the win.

Will Hagwood (Willoughby, OH/Willoughby HS) led Fayette with 23 points while Mozie added 21 points and nine rebounds, Boring added 17 points and 10 rebounds and Mo Freeman (New Castle, DE/Salem Community College) had 16 points and eight rebounds.  Mozie (five of six) and Boring (five of eight) combined to make 10 of 14 three-point attempts.

Fayette was hot from downtown as it made 15 of 32 three-point attempts (46.9 percent) while Shenango only made five of 29 attempts (17.2 percent) from behind the arc.  The 30-point advantage from deep for Fayette countered Shenango's huge advantage (50-26) in the paint.  Overall, Fayette shot 46.0 percent (29-63) from the field while Shenango shot 42.2 percent (35-83).  Fayette also held the advantage at the free throw line as it made 17 of 23 attempts (73.9 percent) while Shenango only made 11 of 21 attempts (52.4 percent).

Shenango held advantages in points off turnovers (25-15), second chance points (17-6) and bench scoring (22-10) with both teams grabbing 42 rebounds.

The win creates a third-place tie in the PSUAC West division for the two teams.  Fayette's PSUAC home game against Penn State Brandywine (5-12, 3-5) on Sunday was postponed, so the team returns to action Wednesday when it hosts Penn State DuBois (0-13, 0-10).

For more information on the men's basketball team, go to https://www.psfathletics.com/sports/mbkb/index or follow us on Instagram @fayetteathletics.