Fayette Explodes in Second Half tfor 92-77 win

NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. – The Roaring Lions notched their first conference win of the season, defeating Penn State New Kensingtion 92-77 on Thursday night.

Jacob Bronder (Jefferson Hills, Pa.) notched a double-double, scoring 26 to go with 13 rebounds to lead five Fayette scorers with double figures.

"Jake played as good of a game as he has played in a Roaring Lions uniform, and we continue to say that after each game.  He was going against some great competition in Muhammad and Hager, and he really looked like an All-Conference post player," Fayette Head Coach Mark John said.

Matt McKenna (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added 19 to go along with three assists and three steals. Brandon Cunningham (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) added 17 with eight rebounds and three steals. He is now 12 points short of 1,000.

"Matt is Matt," John said. "He continues to be dominant on both ends of the floor and on the glass.  His shooting percentage is somewhere around 50 percent, and that's pretty impressive, considering the level of competition at which we have been playing."

John also had high praise for Cunningham, who is just 12 short of 1,000 for his career. "Brandon had one of his best halves of basketball in the second stanza.  I think he had around seven or eight rebounds in the second half, and four or five of those were on the offensive side of the floor.  He also had a few steals in the half court sets that led to getting a few assists on his stat sheet as well."

Luke Williams (Lahaina, Hawaii) added 14 and Mario Reeves (Pittsburgh, Pa.) came off the bench to score 10. C.J. Gaddis (Brownsville, Pa.)  dished out 12 assists.

Tony Bristol had four blocks. "That's an outstanding number for a big man, let alone a guard," John pointed out.

"CJ's floor game was one of the best we've seen since we've been here" John noted.  "He has a good chance to break the school assist record if a few more of our shots and layups fell.  He's really progressed in his third year, and he's a true point guard... a true floor general"

As for Williams, the coach noted that he "continued his consistency on both sides of the court. Anybody he watches on-ball has a hard time running any sets or getting off any passes.  When he creates turnovers, he does a great job of attacking the rim."

Host New Kensington started fast and at by the 15-minute mark, held a 10-point lead.

John was surprised that the Roaring Lions started the game a little sluggish.

"Although we talked all week about starting the game with energy and enthusiasm, it took us a little while to get our legs under us."

"We weren't playing our style of defense, which is a pressuring 96 feet man to man.  We retreated to half court after made baskets and possession changes, and that's not who we are," he explained.

A pair of Dorian Broadwater free throws at the end of the first period, gave New Ken a 42-41 lead going into halftime.

From there, things changed in a hurry. Fayette took the lead for good two minutes into the second half on a Williams jumper at the 16-minute mark. A pair of McKenna free throws gave Fayette a nine-point lead and the Roaring Lions began to pull away.

"In the second half, our rotations were more consistent with what we have done in the first three games.  We trapped, we stepped in front of penetration, and we got into passing lanes.  We took a few charges, and as a result of all that hard work, we capitalized on that transition game," John explained.

The coach also had high praise for his bench players as well. ""Coming off of the bench, Mario, Dierre (Jenkins), Dominick (Jackson), Tony (Bristol), and (Sean) Smoggie utilized their minutes and turned those minutes into production.  I believe Mario finished with 10 and four.  Tony and Mario came in to hit some big threes and grab big boards at the right times.  

The Roaring Lions travel to Saint Vincent College on Monday, March 25 to face the Bearcats. Tip-off is 7 p.m.