Nail-Biting End to the 81-79 GA Men's Basketball Stumble over Penn State Fayette

Lemont Furnace, Pa. - A treacherous final two minutes for the Penn State Greater Allegheny men's basketball team led to the first Penn State University Athletic Conference loss of the season over Penn State Fayette, 81-79.

Sophomore forward Curtis Newby (Sharon, Pa./Sharon) began the game with a layup before junior guard Moe Alli (Edison, N.J./Cardinal McCarrick) mirrored him. Alli drained a three-pointer and a layup with a Newby free-throw splitting the two. Newby placed a layup while sophomore guard Denzel Boyer-London (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) made a jumper, 14-7 GA.

Sophomore guard Jeremy McMunn (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) denoted a layup before sophomore guard Khari Hicks (East Hills, Pa./Imani Christian Academy) put up a jumper, 18-9 ten minutes into the game. Hicks hammered down a three-pointer as Boyer-London made a layup. Freshman guard Jordon Payne (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) and freshman forward Isaiah Fluker (Waldorf, Md./Thomas Stone) both made jumpers, 27-20 with five minutes until break.

Moe added a point from the foul line while Payne laid on points in the paint to tie the game at 30 with less than two minutes until break. McMunn drained a three-pointer before he noted a layup, sending the two teams into the break with Fayette leading by one, 36-35.

Fluker opened up the second half with a layup while Newby mirrored him, tying the game again at 39. Payne laid on three points outside the arc as McMunn and senior guard Jashaun Fontanez (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) surplused layups. Newby dropped a silencer of a dunk as McMunn took back the lead with a good three-pointer, 51-48.

Fayette dropped a few more points as McMunn nailed a three-pointer to tie the game at 54. Fontanez put up a jumper and a trio from the foul line as McMunn added two himself, 66-61 Fayette. 

Fontanez made another layup as McMunn hushed the crowd with a three-pointer and a layup to take the GA lead, 68-66. Moe put up a point from the foul line as Hicks, Fontanez and Newby all added two points each as the clock wound down to three of regulation, 78-75 home team. Hicks and Fontanez both put up two to keep the Lions neck-and-neck with the Roaring Lions as two minutes appeared on the board, 79-78 GA. 

A long final two minutes ended up with a Greater Allegheny technical, a Luke Williams layup and a CJ Gaddis made free-throw, contributing to the 81-79 Greater Allegheny overthrow.

McMunn put up 22 points off the bench with five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Fontanez also came off the bench with 13 points, two boards and a steal. Newby recorded a double-double with 11 points and ten rebounds, three assists and two steals. Hicks and Moe both put up nine points each as Payne denoted seven points himself.

As a team, Greater Allegheny finished 66.7% (8-of-12) from the free-throw line and 45.7% (32-of-70) from the floor. GA out-rebounded Fayette 46-42 through the contest. With 23 GA rebounds, Fayette capitalized on 25 points. The Lions put up 38 points in the paint, 14 points on fastbreak and 13 points off second-chance.

With their first PSUAC drop of the season, the Greater Allegheny men (7-8, 5-1 PSUAC) will go on the road for a Penn State University Athletic Conference weekend with the women. The men will look to tip-off against Penn State Lehigh Valley, Saturday, at 3 p.m.