Men’s Basketball Squeaks Past Lehigh Valley in OT, 89–88
Brown hits three free throws in the last 24 seconds to seal the win
January 23, 2018
Penn State York Men's Basketball maintained their hold on first place in the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC), narrowly edging Penn State Lehigh Valley in overtime, 89–88, on Tuesday, Jan. 23.
After a dominant first half from Penn State York, a Joey O'Dwyer (Dulaney) three-pointer two and a half minutes into the second put York up by 24 points. Lehigh Valley immediately went on a 17–0 run, however, narrowing the gap and turning what was looking like a rout into a real basketball game.
York maintained a small lead until Lehigh Valley's Jonathan Buie hit a jump shot with eight seconds to play, tying the game at 74. Buie then blocked Larry Rascoe's attempt at the buzzer to force overtime.
Khalil White (Cheltenham) and Richard Grant (Susquehannock) hit the first two shots in overtime, and Lehigh Valley was again playing from behind. With the ball in his hands in crunch time for the second time in as many games, Jordin Brown (Hanover) made two free throws with 24 seconds to play, giving York a three-point lead.
After a quick Lehigh Valley three-pointer tied the game, Brown was sent to the line again with 13 seconds remaining. He made the second of two free throws for an 89–88 lead that held up when Lehigh Valley missed their final attempt at the buzzer.
In an otherwise evenly-matched game statistically, Penn State York was able to get to the line with regularity, hitting 20–30 free throws compared to Lehigh Valley's 4–9.
White led all players with 23 points, while Grant, Rascoe (Susquehanna Township), and Justin Luton (Newtown) were all close to double-doubles. Grant scored 20 points and pulled down 9 rebounds, while Rascoe scored 15 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists. Luton scored 9, and also had 10 rebounds and 5 blocks inside. O'Dwyer scored 12 points, while Brown contributed 7 in 20 minutes off the bench.
Penn State York improves to 12–5 overall, and is now 8–2 in conference play. York next travels west to visit Penn State Beaver Friday, Jan. 26, and Penn State Greater Allegheny Saturday, Jan. 27.
Greater Allegheny (6–2 PSUAC), who defeated York in last year's PSUAC Championship Game, is one of three other two-loss teams at the top of the conference standings, along with Penn State Brandywine and Penn State Wilkes-Barre. York plays all three in the final two weeks of the season, as the teams jockey for playoff positioning.