NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. - The Penn State New Kensington men's basketball team wasted little time establishing command of Friday's home tilt against Penn State Scranton. New Ken, keyed by red-hot shooting from distance, scored the first 15 points, and cruised to an 84-48 triumph.
Notching its first victory in Penn State University Athletic Conference play, New Ken improved to 1-7 in the PSUAC, and 2-12 overall. Scranton, meanwhile, dropped to 1-8 in the conference, and 3-12 on the campaign.
After falling in overtime in its last contest, New Ken left no doubt against Scranton, as the hosts held a 13-point lead at intermission, and outscored Scranton by 23 points in the second half. New Ken knocked down 11 three-pointers, while holding Scranton to just 25 percent from the field.
New Ken senior Tavarski Wardlow (Round Rock, Tx./Hendrickson) caught fire from the opening tip, as he stroked three shots from behind the arc in less than two minutes. Although Scranton called a timeout, the pause did not cool down New Ken, as senior Jamison Nee (Natrona Heights, Pa/Highlands) followed up with a pair of threes of his own, pushing the advantage to 15-0. Although the rest of the first half was relatively even, Scranton had no answers for Wardlow and Nee, who netted 17 and 16 points, respectively.
After New Ken held a 43-30 lead at the break, the hosts dominated the final 20 minutes. New Ken, which finished the game on a 36-14 run, connected on half of its 30 shot attempts, with Nee again leading the way. Nine different New Ken players scored in the period, with sophomore Brian Davidson (Pittsburgh, Pa/North Catholic) providing eight points.
Nee scored a game-high 30 points for New Ken, going 9-14 from the field, including 5-9 from three-point territory. He also dished out a game-best nine assists, grabbed six rebounds, and provided four steals. Wardlow registered 22 points, keyed by 6-10 shooting from behind the arc. In addition to his second-half offense, Davidson paced New Ken with eight rebounds, while freshman Hasaan Ismaeli (Pittsburgh, Pa/Nazareth Prep) tied Nee with four steals.
Scranton was paced by Arel Lamour, who had 12 points, and Rob McAndrew, who netted 10.
New Kensington returns to the hardwood on Monday, hosting Penn State Wilkes – Barre at 7 p.m. Scranton next plays on Friday, Jan. 24 at home against Penn State DuBois.
Written by: Sean Meyers
