Greater Allegheny Men's Basketball Survives to Overtake New Kensington, 98-91

New Kensington, Pa. - The Penn State Greater Allegheny men's basketball team was eager for their ninth Penn State University Athletic Conference victory on the season, as the men traveled to Penn State New Kensington, Wednesday night, in a 98-91 GA win.

Freshman guard Jordon Payne (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) was the first on the board in the game with a made three-pointer before sophomore guard Jeremy McMunn (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) mirrored him with a three himself. Sophomore guard Khari Hicks (East Hills, Pa./Imani Christian Academy) put up four points before sophomore guard Curtis Newby (Sharon, Pa./Sharon) put up a jumper, 12-7 GA.

Payne hammered another three-pointer as Newby and sophomore guard Denzel Boyer-London (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) denoted jumpers for GA, 21-9 just eight minutes into regulation. Junior guard Jumanne Butler-McDaniel (Somerset, N.J./Cardinal McCarrick) and Boyer-London went on a ramage with jumpers for the Lions, 29-20. 

Senior guard Jashaun Fontanez (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) downed two from the foul line before the he nailed a jumper. Freshman forward Isaiah Fluker (Waldorf, Md./Thomas Stone) matched Fontanez with a jumper before McMunn extended the Greater Allegheny lead to ten with a made trey, 38-28 GA with five minutes left until halftime.

Junior guard Moe Alli (Edison, N.J./Cardinal McCarrick), Hicks,  Fontanez and Boyer-London all drained jumpers for Greater Allegheny as freshman forward Scott Przybysz (Elderton, Pa./West Shamokin) laid on a point from the foul line, sending the two teams into halftime with Greater Allegheny in the drivers seat, 50-40.

Hicks and Payne came out in the second half with ringers of three-pointers as McMunn contributed a trio of jumpers, Greater Allegheny in front, 62-49. Fontanez added another three-pointer as freshman center Brannon Murphy (Pittsburgh, Pa./University Prep) got on the board with two points. 

McMunn and Fontanez each downed jumpers as Moe clobbered New Kensington with a three-pointer and a jumper, 76-64 GA. McMunn hit another three-pointer as Boyer-London hit a pair of jumpshots. McMunn put up five points from the floor while Hicks and Alli both continued to the GA swell. Payne denoted a three-pointer as Fontanez finished out the game with a duo of jumpers, sending Greater Allegheny into a 98-91 conference victory.

Greater Allegheny swiped the win despite a 34-point night from New Kensington's Joret Chambers.

McMunn put up a team-high 23 points with four completed three-pointers. Fontanez downed 17 points with five assists, two rebounds and a steal. Payne added 12 points with five rebounds and five assists while Hicks added 11 points, seven assists and four boards.

As a team, Greater Allegheny shot 53.8% (7-of-13) from the foul line alongside 48.8% (40-of-82) from the floor and 44% (11-of-25) from outside the arc. Despite being narrowly out-rebounded, 41-38, the men dropped 14 points off second-chance as well as 12 points off of the nine New Kensington turnovers.

Greater Allegheny (11-9, 9-2 PSUAC) will take just a few days to get prepared for the final home regular season contest for the Lions. On Saturday, Penn State Mont Alto will come to Wunderley Gymnasium for a huge Penn State University Athletic Conference match-up. With Greater Allegheny's Recruit Day set for 11 a.m., the men's contest is set for 3 p.m., just after the women's game.