Men’s Basketball Win Second-Straight to Improve to 9-5

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

DuBOIS, Pa. – After a highly contested first half that saw DuBois up 26-24, Mont Alto rode a 13-0 run to open the second half that completely swung the momentum in their favor in a 70-53 PSUAC win on Wednesday evening. 

Inside the Box Score

• Mont Alto used a balanced scoring attack with four different players finishing in double figures. Senior guard Jalen Smith (Ranson, W.Va. / Jefferson) poured in 15 points, four rebounds and had block on the defensive side of the floor. Devante Nelson (Middletown, N.Y. / East Stroudsburg) provided an inside-outside threat and finished with a career-high 15 points.
• Drew Pitzer (Bunker Hill, W.Va. / Musselman) sparked the 13-0 run and second half rally with a pair of 3-pointers. The senior finished with 11 points.
• Sophomore guard Marcus Roper (Charles Town, W. Va. / Jefferson) chipped in 11 points, knocking down a pair of treys.
• Mont Alto shot 45.6 percent from the field and created 20 turnovers.
• Penn State Dubois had three different players finish in double figures with Zack Dahlstrand, Dylan Huey and Jonathan Turk each finishing with 11 points each.

How it Happened

• Penn State DuBois opened the game with a 10-5 advantage after a Dylan Huey jumper at the 14:48 mark. Mont Alto went on a 6-0 run to take an 11-10 lead with Jalen Smith (Ranson, W.Va. / Jefferson) scoring seven early points.
• Both teams played disciplined defense and PSU DuBois relied on its high-low game to cut the deficit to one-point (18-7), but a Roper transition bucket swayed the momentum Mont Alto's way.
• The team's made it hard on each other during the final seven minutes of the first half causing multiple turnovers both ways. The homestanding Lions took the 26-24 lead into the halftime break.
• PSUMA's 13-0 run to open the second half was enough to completely swing the momentum in its favor and a Pitzer 3-pointer that was assisted by Smith forced a DuBois timeout with just over 16 minutes left in the game.
• Five-straight turnovers in the middle of the half helped spring PSUMA to a 47-29 lead in part to its pressure defense.
• Neither team got into much of a flow during the final 10 minutes of the game as Mont Alto drained the clock on many of its possessions.
• PSUMA held on for the 70-53 victory.

Penn State Mont Alto (9-5, 6-2 PSUAC) currently sit in first-place in the PSUAC West Division with a half game advantage over PSU Beaver. Mont Alto return to action on Tuesday, January 15 when it hosts Penn State Greater Allegheny. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m.