Late Surge Leads MUW Past Brandywine

MEDIA, Pa. -- The Mississippi University for Women outscored Penn State Brandywine 17-4 during the final 3:41 of regulation and defeated the Penn State Brandywine men's basketball team 68-60 on Monday night.

Brandywine led for almost all of the first 36 minutes, scoring the opening five points of the night before expanding the margin to 10 points with 6:24 to go in the first half behind a Dillon Jones' (Wilmington, Del./Hodgson Vo-Tech) three-pointer that capped a 12-2 run.

Another triple off the hands of Jones made the count 26-15 less than one minute later, but MUW chipped away at the deficit, cutting the margin to six during the next five minutes. A.J. Dreger (Newtown Square, Pa./Bonner-Prendie) sank three free throws with 20 seconds remaining in the first half to send Brandywine to intermission with a 34-25 edge.

The Owls began to cut into the Lions' lead early in the second half. The margin was four points at the 16:27 mark and was reduced to one point near the midway point of the final period.

A Dariun Doss basket gave the Owls the lead for the first time in the game with 10:17 to go, but Dreger answered with a triple to put the Lions back on top.

Jones' layup at the 6:13 mark made the score 50-47; however, MUW knocked down a triple 14 seconds later to tie the count.

A free throw from Jaden Kelly (Philadelphia, Pa./GAMP), paired with a layup by Colin Hockenbrock (Wilmington, Del./St. Elizabeth) and a Dreger triple, put Brandywine on top 56-51 with 4:15 to play, but Brandywine made just one field goal the rest of the way as MUW rallied for the victory.

The visitors scored 11-straight points to move in front 62-56 and then sank all six free throws during the final 30 seconds to secure the win.

Dreger scored a team-high 18 points, while Hockenbrock and Jones both tallied 13 points. Hockenbrock added 11 rebounds and six assists, both team bests, while Jones grabbed six boards.

The difference in the game came at the free throw line. After making all seven first-half attempts, Brandywine shot just 8-19 during the second half, while MUW knocked down 18-of-23 during the final 20 minutes.

Brandywine (3-6) will host Gwynedd Mercy Thursday evening at 6:00 PM.