Brandywine Blasts Hazleton; Remains In Postseason Contention

HAZLETON, Pa. – Penn State Brandywine picked up its most lopsided victory in nearly four years, routing Penn State Hazleton by a score of 93-70 on Friday night as the Lions remained in contention for one of the six spots in the PSUAC Men's Basketball Tournament.

The Lions will need to win out during their final three conference games over the next week and get help from the rest of the league as they sit in the middle of an eight-team pack fighting for the final three postseason spots. All eight teams are within two games of each other in the standings entering Saturday's games.

Brandywine's 23-point margin of victory was its largest since a 95-55 home rout of Penn State Lehigh Valley on February 5, 2013. The Lions have now beaten Hazleton by double figures during each of the last two seasons.

Five players scored at least 10 points for Brandywine, which shot 52 percent (35-67) from the field, including three reserves. Shafi Mohammad (Philadelphia, Pa./Hawbridge School (N.C.)) netted 14 points, while James Fisher (Philadelphia, Pa./Upper Darby) poured in 13 points along with eight rebounds and Isaiah Lester (Morton, Pa./Ridley) added 10 points and three assists.

Isaiah Wilmore (Philadelphia, Pa./Ben Franklin) topped the team with a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double. He also tallied two steals and two blocks, while Edward Sanchez (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) registered 14 points, six boards and four assists.

After missing their first two shots of the game, the Lions hit on six-straight, capped by Wilmore's fast-break dunk that made the score 17-5.

The Lions' lead continued to grow as Mohammad poured in seven consecutive points to swell the edge to 16 and Fisher connected on three triples in a five-minute span to push the lead past 20 for the first time at the 4:55 mark.

Cyrie Spencer's (Sharon Hill, Pa./Academy Park) layup with 19 seconds to go gave the Lions an even 50 points at the break and a 17-point advantage.

Brandywine was never threatened during the final 20 minutes, growing the lead as large as 32 points on Wilmore's three-point play with 15 minutes remaining.

Brandywine buried nine three-pointers and posted an assist on 19 of its 35 made baskets, while holding a 52-35 edge on the boards.

The Lions (6-16, 5-8 PSUAC) look to avenge an early-season loss to Penn State Schuylkill on Saturday when the teams meet for a 3:00 pm tip-off in Schuylkill Haven.