#3 Penn State York Hosts #6 Hazleton in PSUAC Playoffs
York rides a four-game winning streak into Wednesday evening’s opening round game
February 13, 2018
Penn State York Men's Basketball (16–7, 12–4) holds the #3 seed and hosts #6 Penn State Hazleton (9–13, 8–8) in the opening round of the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) Playoffs, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 14.
Coach Parrish Petry's team hopes to ride the momentum of a four-game winning streak and move on to a semifinal matchup with #1 Penn State Brandywine on Saturday in Media, Pennsylvania.
Penn State York and Penn State Hazleton last met in a mid-November game in Hazleton, which opened PSUAC play for both teams. York sat on an 18-point advantage at halftime before Hazleton stormed back to take the lead with 2:04 remaining.
Junior Richard Grant (York, Pennsylvania / Susquehannock) was fouled making a layup with 1:06 to play, and his free throw leveled the score at 65, where it would stand at the end of regulation. Grant led York in the game with 22 points and 9 rebounds.
Sophomore Joey O'Dwyer (Baltimore, Maryland / Dulaney) hit two of his four 3-pointers in the overtime period and Grant made consecutive layups off steals by Jordin Brown (Hanover, Pennsylvania / New Oxford High School) and Larry Rascoe (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania / Susquehanna Township High School) as York controlled extra time and ultimately prevailed, 81–74.
Grant is Penn State York's leading scorer on the season, averaging 17.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1 block per game. A week ago, Grant was named PSUAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week, after scoring 31 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in an 80–70 win over Penn State Worthington Scranton.
Spring transfer Khalil White (Cheltenham, Pennsylvania / Cheltenham) averages 12.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, while both O'Dwyer and Rascoe are shooting 41% from three-point range, averaging 11.1 and 9.2 points per game, respectively. Rascoe also averages 5 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game.
Paired up with Grant in the paint, Justin Luton (Baltimore, Maryland / Newtown) is averaging 8.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. Derrick Hoffman (Manchester, Pennsylvania / Northeastern) has given the team a lift inside as well, averaging 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in 12.3 minutes per game off the bench.