New Kensington Falls Short in OT, 59-56

New Kensington, PA- The Lions hosted Penn State Schuylkill Saturday in another PSUAC showdown. New Kensington entered the contest looking for their second conference win in as many nights, and their third straight overall.

Both teams struggled to score in the first half, with neither side shooting more than 32% on the way to a 27-21 lead for Schuylkill at the break. The second half went back and forth, as both teams traded the lead back and forth. 

New Kensington looked like they were poised to pull away after senior forward Jaden Stonework's (Clinton, MD) jumper made it 51-44 with just under three minutes remaining. Unfortunately, the Lions could not close it out down the stretch as Schuylkill responded with a 7-0 run of their own to force overtime at 51-51.

The Lions took the lead in overtime on a layup by sophomore guard Shyheim Flanagan (Breaux Bridge, LA) with 3:35 left to go, but it wouldn't last long. Schuylkill responded and made their free throws down the stretch to hand New Kensington a 59-56 loss.

New Kensington was led offensively by Flanagan, who scored 20 points and grabbed 8 rebounds on the night. Fellow starter, big man, sophomore center  Jovan Kojic (Subotica, Serbia) added a double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Freshmen guard Ta'Rasi Means (Plum, PA) added 9 points and 5 rebounds, while Stonework chipped in 6 points and 7 boards off the bench.

The Lions will look to get back to their winning ways this Friday, December 9^th when they travel to Scranton, PA to take on Penn State Scranton in another conference matchup.

 Stay tuned at PSNkathletics.com.