DuBois Sends Brandywine To First PSUAC Loss

DUBOIS, Pa. -- Penn State Brandywine led for nearly the entire game before succumbing to a late Penn State DuBois rally as the Lions suffered their first Penn State University Athletic Conference defeat on Friday night by a score of 88-82.

Brandywine, which led 42-40 at halftime, ballooned the lead to its largest margin at 17 points eight minutes into the second half on the heels of a 16-2 surge. With the score 55-52 in favor of Brandywine, Dwayne Coleman (Philadelphia, Pa./Delaware Valley Charter) got the run started by canning back-to-back jumpers. After Bernard Rauckhorst answered with a bucket for DuBois, Chima Lawrence (Wilmington, Del./Concord) knocked down a three-pointer and James Fisher (Philadelphia, Pa./Upper Darby) followed with triples during three consecutive possessions, upping the Lions' lead to 71-54 with just over 12 minutes to play.

Three minutes later, DuBois began to claw back into the game behind a 12-0 spurt. The Brandywine lead slipped below 10 when Tristan Pierce buried a jumper at the 7:51 mark, while Hezekiah Hopkins capped the run with two free throws 35 seconds later, making the score 73-69.

Quentin Beasley (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) countered for Brandywine by nailing a triple and Brandywine would up its lead to eight following a Terrence Brown (Philadelphia, Pa./Communications Tech) trifecta at the 4:57 mark.

However, Hopkins and Pierce combined for eight-straight DuBois points, the final two of which came on a Pierce basket with 1:16 to play that brought the hosts within one point.

With 40 seconds to play, Dylan Huey sank two free throws, giving DuBois a one-point edge. Brandywine came up empty on the offensive end during its final three possessions, while three free throws from Hopkins and Pierce helped DuBois seal the victory.

Brown topped Brandywine with 27 points (11-19 FG) and seven rebounds, while Fisher knocked down six three-pointers en route to 22 points. Donte Winfield (Philadelphia, Pa./Simon Gratz) added 16 points and six boards for Brandywine, which shot nearly 50 percent (29-59) from the field and connected on 12 three-pointers.

Pierce poured in 33 points, 20 of which came in the second half, while Hopkins chipped in 20 points and 13 rebounds to pace DuBois. DuBois made 51 percent of its shots from the floor (36-70) and held a 31-29 edge on the boards.

Brandywine (8-5, 4-1 PSUAC) looks to bounce back Saturday at Penn State Mont Alto (4:00 pm).