Penn State New Kensington used a 19-0 run to turn a sizeable deficit into a brief second-half lead, but Penn State Brandywine regained control down the stretch and notched a 76-64 win in New Kensington on Saturday afternoon. With its sixth consecutive setback, Penn State New Kensington falls to 4-12, including a mark of 2-9 in Penn State University Athletic Conference play. Conversely, Penn State Brandywine improves to 14-5, and 9-2 in PSUAC action.
Homestanding New Kensington scored the first five points of the contest, but Brandywine pulled ahead just moments later, courtesy of consecutive three-pointers. Shortly thereafter, Brandywine used a 19-2 run to gain a commanding 29-11 edge. Keyed by Juwan Willis (Swissvale, Pa/Woodland Hills) and Keith Corbett (Silver Springs, Md/Methodist University), however, New Kensington trimmed its deficit to 43-32 at the break. Although New Kensington shot just 29 percent from the field in the first half, it did convert 11 of 12 foul shots to stay within striking distance.
The momentum of New Kensington's strong finish carried into the start of the second half, with Antonio Hill (West Mifflin, Pa/West Mifflin) serving as the catalyst. Hill, who was limited to just two points in the first half because of foul trouble, scored the first six points of the second half. After Aboud Hemed (Beltsville, Md/James Hubert Blake) knocked down a shot and Hill converted once from the foul line, Willis drilled a three-pointer that gave the home team the lead, 44-43. The teams exchanged baskets, but Brandywine pulled ahead at 52-50 on a jumper by Ameer Staggs. Brandywine never relinquished that advantage, and extended its lead to double-digits with just more than seven minutes remaining in the game. Brandywine finished the contest on a 26-14 surge to seal the victory, its second road victory in as many days.
In the defeat, New Kensington was led by Hill and Willis, who each netted 17 points. Hill was particularly efficient, shooting 8-12 from the field in just 23 minutes, while Willis paced the team with two steals and two blocks. New Kensington's leading scorer for the season, Dorian Broadwater (Homestead, Pa/Steel Valley), also contributed 15 points, while Corbett added a game-high 11 rebounds.
Donte Whitfield paced Brandywine with 21 points and four assists, which tied for the team lead. Isiah Cook, who also had four assists, produced 19 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Terrance Brown also reached double-figures in scoring with 13 points, but was just 4-19 from the field.
Ball control was problematic for New Kensington, as Brandywine forced 18 turnovers, which it converted in 22 points. Additionally, the visitors won the battle on the boards, 37-30, and outpaced New Kensington in bench scoring, 12-5.
Penn State New Kensington remains at home its next contest, at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2 against Penn State Greater Allegheny. Brandywine, meanwhile, returns home to play Penn State Mont Alto on Tuesday, Jan. 30.
