NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. - The Penn State New Kensington men's basketball team improved to 7-10 at home on Saturday night after defeating Penn State DuBois in a dominant 91-77 finish.
Both the skill level and game pace of the men's basketball team proved too much for their opponents from the beginning seconds of the game. The entire team now plays as a unit and once they are leading, they will not let up.
Saturday was one of the first occasions in which the men hammered home a win in commanding fashion. There was no time to waste in ruling the floor as Aubrey Feaster II (Buffalo, N.Y. / William B. Travis) and Shyheim Flanagan (St. Martinville, La. / Westside) quickly rose to the top of the game's scoring leaders while exercising precise shooting.
New Kensington's defense was also airtight with Benjamin Cunningham (Woodbridge, Va. / Christ Chapel Academy) playing an effective game in support of Jovan Kojic (Subotica, Serbia / Canterbury) who locked up the DuBois passing game on the inside.
Flanagan, Feaster II, and Joseph Dusabe (Toronto, Ont. / Fox Chapel) showed up to the first half in their passing strategies, allowing the defense to do its job in holding off DuBois in critical moments of the game.
Shyheim Flanagan led scoring at the half with 14 points. Feaster II was not far behind with 11. The men withstood a good defensive effort by DuBois but still managed 48.4% of shots from the field.
In the second half, Evan Clarke (Aston, Pa. / Garnet Valley), Jiaan Sehhat (Great Falls, Va. / Langley), and Sammy Carey (Springdale, Pa. / Springdale) led the men's offense in a consistent and powerful drive down court.
Kojic continued his physical play, taking three rebounds and no fouls. Clarke was open frequently, totaling his game points at 19.
With 10 minutes left in the game, New Kensington led 62-46. DuBois scored rapidly in the final minutes but was outplayed by the ability of New Kensington who possessed their most complete game thus far.
The game ended with a bang as Flanagan and Feaster II took advantage of back-to-back dunks showing off the team's fantastic in-game communication. The leads changed only twice and tied once, but New Kensington secured the victory 91-77.
The game's scoring leaders include Clarke and Feaster II, both with 19 points, followed by Flanagan and Cunningham who both earned 14. The men returned with cohesion after a nine-day break in the action.
They worked through a virtual practice from campus on the night of the 14th as Winter Storm Izzy closed in on the northeast.
It was especially quiet in the campus Athletic Center last weekend. The men of the Penn State New Kensington basketball team were told that their two upcoming games were postponed due to inclement weather.
Their work ethic, though, could not be stopped. While physical practice was not required, the men's ensemble gathered on the gym floor Friday night to work through their drills before studying film together.
Speaking on the looming game cancellations, the players are focused strictly on competing to win at any time. "You have more time to work on your stuff but at the same time, nothing prepares you for a game like a game," said Joseph Dusabe during Friday night's practice.
"The more games you play, the more experience you have, the better off you end up being. Because we're a young team, the more games you play in a shorter time frame is better for us. Because sometimes guys get out of grooves. We just got out of a shooting slump so it would be nice for us to kind of maintain that but we'll see."
The supplemental practice, pick-up games, and shooting drills can account for the team's extraordinary camaraderie on the court, but one noticeable accessory of their potent determination is confidence.
". . . it's no longer about Xs and Os right now, it's about just playing as hard as we possibly can," said Dusabe. "When we play hard and we play together we can beat anybody. Not even in the conference, but in the country really . . . I think we're really starting to turn that corner."
The men also stress the importance of watching game film, suggesting they will use every advantage they can against their opponents. "On a practice like today, we're just going to do film, we're going to work on the film, just trying to see what the team is going to do," said Shyheim Flanagan during Friday night's practice. "We just have to keep going."
Now at mid-season, the team's resolve is their lifeblood. The players and coaches alike know that it is their steadfastness that will prevail. "Joe said we're one of the best teams in the country but we're 6-10, we're playing really good basketball," said Flanagan. "Everyone sees that we're playing good basketball. But it's like, when are we going to take the extra step to get over that hump? We're young, we're still learning and that's all we can do is just keep trying our best to win basketball games."
The men are scheduled to play Penn State Beaver on the road on Wednesday, January 26 at 8:00 p.m.
Written by Matt Heavner, PSNK Athletics Communications Intern
