Brandywine Starts Fast; Holds Off Schuylkill For 80-65 Win

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN, Pa. -- Penn State Brandywine saw its 31-point halftime lead trimmed to 12 points late in the second half, but the Lions held on to defeat Penn State Schuylkill 80-65 for a Penn State University Athletic Conference men's basketball victory on Saturday afternoon.

The first half belonged to the Lions, who stormed out to a 13-0 lead 5:09 into the game behind a barrage of three-pointers. Andrew Persaud (King of Prussia, Pa./Upper Merion) upped the lead to 19-2 when he buried the Lions' fifth triple of the first half at the 11:36 mark and three minutes later, added a jumper to complete Brandywine's game-opening run, making the score 28-4.

Josh Smith's (Glassboro, N.J./Glassboro) three-pointer with 5:37 to go before the half gave all nine Lions a made basket during the opening period, extending the margin to 37-10.

Brandywine netted the final five points of the stanza, using a put-back by Dwayne Coleman (Philadelphia, Pa./Delaware Valley Charter) to increase the advantage to 46-14 after 20 minutes.

Schuylkill controlled the early portion of the second half, scoring the first eight points in less than 90 seconds to trim the deficit under 25.

Brandywine led 60-38 following a triple from Dean Kane (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) at the 11:24 mark, but Schuylkill answered with three buckets over the next 1:23 to climb within 16 points. The hosts continued to rally, slicing the deficit as low as 12 points when Devin King buried a three-pointer with 6:42 to play.

However, Kane responded with a basket during the Lions' next possession and Coleman took over offensively in the final five minutes, netting 10 of Brandywine's final 11 points down the stretch to help the Lions win their second-straight PSUAC road game.

Coleman produced his third double-double of the season after recording game highs with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Kane registered a career-high 12 points, while Persaud and Jacob Hunt (Wilmington, Del./Brandywine) both scored 10 points.

Brandywine recorded assists on 21 of its 30 baskets as Smith handed out six helpers and Persaud had five assists. Smith also tallied eight points and a team-best three steals.

The Lions shot 49 percent from the field and knocked down 12 triples, while limiting Schuylkill to 37 percent shooting, including 6-of-37 marksmanship during the first half.

Brandywine (5-4, 3-2 PSUAC) makes a short trip down Route 352 to face Williamson College of the Trades on Wednesday night at 7:00 pm.