New Kensington, PA- The Lions welcomed Penn State Fayette to the athletic center last night for a PSUAC showdown between the 2nd and 3rd placed teams in the conference.
The game did not let down, as the lead was traded back and forth the entire first half, with New Kensington taking a 26-23 lead into the break. Both teams locked things down defensively throughout the first 20 minutes, but things opened up in the second half.
Fayette opened the second half on a 9-0 run to retake the lead, but the Lions responded with a 15-5 run of their own to take a 42-37 lead with just over 12 minutes to play. Fayette took over the next 7 minutes so, regaining the lead and stretching it to 59-52 with just over 5 minutes remaining.
The Lions once again answered, going on a 8-1 down the stretch to go ahead 62-60 at the 1:38 mark. New Kensington found themselves up three after two made free throws from forward Jovan Kojic (Subotica, Serbia) with 3 seconds to go, but Fayette was able push it to overtime on a last minute heave from well beyond the arc.
Overtime was highly contested, but the Lions couldn't get the necessary stops down the stretch on their way to a 79-75 heartbreaking defeat.
New Kensington was paced offensively by 21 points and 8 rebounds from sophomore guard Aubrey Feaster (Buffalo, NY). Senior forward Joseph Dusabe (Toronto, ON) stayed hot from beyond the arc, finishing with 17 points and 6 boards of his own. Sophomore guard Ta'Rasi Means (Plum, PA) and Kojic chipped in 12 a piece, while grabbing 9 rebounds as well.
The Lions will look to get back in the win column as they to Sharon, PA this Saturday, January 28th for a PSUAC West showdown with Penn State Shenango.
Stay tuned at PSNKathletics.com
