NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. - The Penn State New Kensington men's basketball team captured a victory for the first time in the 2019-20 season on Tuesday, as the homestanding Lions outlasted Kent State University at Tuscarawas 77-75 in overtime. New Ken outscored Tuscarawas by 10 points in the second half to force the extra period, and then held off the Golden Eagles at the buzzer to secure their first win since last season's finale.
With the triumph, New Kensington improved to 1-6, while Tuscarawas fell to 2-7, dropping its fifth straight outcome.
The opening half belonged to the visitors, as Tuscarawas outscored the Lions 37-27. Tuscarawas built its advantage primarily by superior shooting from the field, but New Ken's success at the foul line (6-7, compared to no attempts for Tuscarawas) allowed the hosts to stay within striking distance.
In the second stanza, the Lions began to chip away at their deficit. New Ken scored the first six points of the half, all within the first minute, to pull within four points. Tuscarawas responded, however, and extended the lead back to double digits, at 52-41, with less than 12 minutes left in regulation.
From that point forward, New Ken's combination of Jamison Nee (Natrona Heights, Pa./Highlands) and Spencer Wilson (Plum, Pa./Plum) sparked another rally. Nee, who returned to the lineup after being sidelined the past few weeks, knocked down a jump shot, and then assisted on a Wilson layup to make it 51-45. Wilson then made another layup on an assist from Nee, who followed with a layup of his own to pull the Lions within three points. Bernard Lawson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Serra Catholic) also scored for New Ken to extend the run to 10-0.
Although Tuscarawas responded by restoring its lead back to four points, the Lions continued to battle, and eventually pulled even on another layup by Lawson with 4:29 left.
New Ken took its first lead of the second half when Nee converted a layup with 1:22 left, but a foul shot from Tuscarawas' Gunnar Tharp deadlocked the score at 66. Neither team could score in the final minute, prompting the extra period.
In overtime, Nee continued his impressive play, as he converted a pair of free throws and made two layups, as well, the second of which put the Lions in front, 74-73. Tharp hit both foul shots on the other end to put Tuscarawas back in front, but sophomore Brian Davidson (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Catholic) hit a layup, assisted by Nee, to give New Ken the 76-75 lead. On the subsequent possession, Nee came up with a steal, and hit one foul shot to push the advantage to 77-75.
In the final seconds, the Lions forced multiple errant shots inside the paint from Tuscarawas, sealing the outcome.
After scoring just one point in the opening half, Nee finished with game highs of 20 points and seven assists. He was joined in double figures by Wilson, Lawson and Jahi Ogbonna (Pittsburgh, Pa./Allderdice). Wilson also snatched a game-leading 13 rebounds, while Lawson grabbed nine.
Tuscarawas was led by Tharp, who had 19 points, while Braden Rostad, Andre Leavell, and Malik Campbell also reached double figures.
New Kensington returns to the court on Friday, when the Lions travel to play Penn State Hazleton at 8 p.m. in PSUAC play. Kent State Tuscarawas, meanwhile, plays at Wright State – Lake Campus on Thursday.
Written by Sean Meyers
