Balanced Scoring Effort Puts Brandywine Back In Win Column

MEDIA, Pa. -- Six players scored at least eight points as the Penn State Brandywine men's basketball team ended a three-game skid by defeating Penn State New Kensington 70-60 on Saturday afternoon.

Johnta Dunson (Philadelphia, Pa./Freire Charter) topped three double-figure scorers with 14 points, while Jaden Kelly (Philadelphia, Pa./GAMP) scored 10 of his 12 points during the second half. A.J. Dreger (Newtown Square, Pa./Bonner-Prendie) was the third Lion in double figures as he connected for a pair of three-pointers and netted 10 points.

Colin Hockenbrock (Wilmington, Del./St. Elizabeth) and Dillon Jones (Wilmington, Del./Hodgson Vo-Tech) both tallied nine points and Joey Brusha (Abington, Pa./Abington) collected eight points.

Brandywine ran out to a 14-3 lead thanks to eight points from Dreger and the Lions held the lead for the duration of the opening half. New Kensington drew as close as five points down, but a Jones' triple pushed the margin back to 10 points with 42 seconds left in the period.

Another three-pointer from Jones swelled the lead to 49-37 at the 12:02 mark of the second half before New Kensington made a push. The visitors netted seven of the next nine points to climb within seven, but a triple from Brusha ended the New Kensington run.

Five-straight points from Brusha followed by a Dreger layup gave Brandywine its largest lead of the day at 61-46 with 6:44 remaining; however, New Kensington fought back over the next five minutes, drawing within six when Aubrey Feaster sank a layup with 1:25 to go.

Kelly answered Feaster with a bucket in traffic to make the count 68-60. Brandywine's defense forced turnovers during New Kensington's next two possessions, while Kelly and Dunson each made a free throw during the final 30 seconds to help clinch the victory.

Brandywine shot 41 percent from the field and limited New Kensington to 31 percent shooting. The Lions held a 40-37 edge on the boards, paced by a 10-rebound effort from Hockenbrock. Dunson grabbed nine boards, while Jones hauled in eight.

Brandywine (4-8, 4-4 PSUAC) hits the road for the first time in 2024 on Tuesday when the Lions visit Penn State Mont Alto at 8:00 PM.