Penn State Wilkes-Barre Men's Basketball Captures 2nd USCAA National Championship

PETERSBURG, Va. - Penn State Wilkes-Barre men's basketball won the 2023 USCAA Men's Division II Basketball National Championship on Thursday, topping Miami-Hamilton 55-50 at the Virginia State University Multi-Purpose Center in Petersburg, Va. The win is Wilkes-Barre's second national title in five years, with their first USCAA title coming in 2019.

Anthony Picott came up big for Wilkes-Barre as both teams struggled to score against swarming defenses. Picott finished with a game-high 23 points, including five three-pointers to help Wilkes-Barre erase an 11-point deficit late in the first half, cutting the Harriers lead to 27-22 at the break. Picott was joined in double-digits by Allen Ozojie, who finished with 12 points and went 6-for-8 from the free throw line. Ozojie also had a game-high 13 rebounds off the bench. 

Wilkes-Barre raced out to an early 8-2 lead with hopes of extending it, but Miami-Hamilton answered and would tie the game at 13 with just under nine minutes to play in the first half. A 14-3 run over the next seven minutes gave the Harriers a 27-16 lead and plenty of momentum. But Ozojie finished the half with the final six points, including a rousing dunk and foul to close the gap to five. 

The second half was back-and-forth early before Wilkes-Barre would finally grab the lead at 37-35 with 13:27 to play. The Lions extended it to as much as seven and kept Miami-Hamilton at bay for much of the half. However, the end would not be without drama as the Harriers cut it to 50-47 with 1:25 to play. Ozojie and Jalen Willis each hit one free throw on back-to-back possessions before a three from Miami-Hamilton made it 52-50 with 34 seconds left. Willis would eventually put the game out of reach with two free throws in the waning seconds to secure the win.

Less than two weeks after suffering an agonizing loss in the PSUAC Championship game, Wilkes-Barre responded much like they did in 2019 when they also lost the PSUAC title but captured the USCAA crown. That response included avenging their PSUAC loss to Penn State Greater Allegheny, dispatching their conference rivals in the USCAA quarterfinals 74-68. The Lions then downed Kent State Tuscarawas 77-72 in the semis to advance to the championship game.

The national title is the 11th USCAA National Championship won by a Penn State University Athletic Conference member, and the 10th since the spring 2018 season. Penn State DuBois has captured three baseball championships; Wilkes-Barre has two men's basketball titles; Penn State Brandywine has won two men's soccer championships; Penn State Beaver women's basketball has two women's basketball crowns; and Penn State Fayette and Penn State Mont Alto have each won a women's volleyball national title.

For more on the USCAA visit www.theuscaa.com; for more information on the PSUAC visit www.psuacsports.com.