Men’s Basketball Bounce Back with Win at PSU Lehigh Valley

Men’s Basketball Bounce Back with Win at PSU Lehigh Valley
Box Score
December 1, 2018

By: Frank Maira, Assistant Director of Athletics/Sports Information Director

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Penn State Mont Alto men's basketball team earned a 57-53 road PSUAC win on Saturday afternoon over Penn State Lehigh Valley. Both teams played tough defense as PSUMA improved to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the conference.

Inside the Box Score

  • Both Mont Alto and PSU Lehigh Valley shot a little over 31 percent from the floor.  PSUMA shot a 28 percent clip from three-point range with both Nick Jacoby (Shippensburg, Pa. / Shippensburg Area) and Shun Hickman (Shippensburg, Pa. / Shippensburg Area) draining a pair of attempts.
  • Kevin Holston (Fort Washington, Md. / Friendly) scored a team-high 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. The senior guard also finished with five rebounds.
  • Fellow senior Jalen Smith (Ranson, W. Va. / Jefferson) also finished in double figures with 10 points as he did most of his damage at the free throw line, converting on 5-of-5 attempts.
  • Mont Alto held a 52-38 advantage in rebounds with the visitors also collecting 21 offensive rebounds.
  • The backcourt of Jermiah Jenkins and James Middleton scored 12 points and 14 points apiece for PSU Lehigh Valley.

How it Happened

  • The game featured four different ties and three lead changes with Penn State Lehigh Valley building an eight-point lead with 13:37 left in the first half after an Eric Johnson jumper.
  • Mont Alto played even harder defense after the halftime break with PSUMA holding Lehigh Valley to 0-of-8 shooting from three-point range within the second period as they stymied each comeback attempt.
  • The depth of Mont Alto's squad helped wear out Penn State Lehigh Valley defensively and they contributed 25 points.
  • Mont Alto matched a season-high four blocks with Jalen Smith (Ranson, W.Va. / Jefferson) tallying one in the first half and another in the second half. Devante Nelson (Middleton, N.Y. / East Stroudsburg) came up with a big block within the first half.

Penn State Mont Alto concludes its three game PSUAC road trip on Wednesday, December 5 in a matchup with Penn State Greater Allegheny. The away game is slated to begin at 8 p.m.