Knights Down Lions At Rowan Invitational

GLASSBORO, New Jersey -- Penn State Brandywine drilled 12 three-pointers, but allowed Neumann to shoot 55 percent from the field as the Knights claimed a 79-69 men's basketball victory during the consolation game of the Rowan University Invitational on Sunday afternoon.

Facing an NCAA Division III opponent for the second-straight day, Brandywine (0-2) used a barrage of long balls to hang tough with the Knights throughout the first half. Trailing 13-6 after a 6-0 Neumann spurt, Cyrie Spencer (Sharon Hill, Pa./Academy Park) and Amir Davis (Philadelphia, Pa./Walter Palmer Charter) drilled back-to-back triples to bring the Lions within one.

Marcus Turner (Claymont, Del./Chichester) knotted the score at 17-17 as he buried a shot from beyond the arc before Spencer gave the Lions their first lead of the half at 20-19 with a three-pointer at the 9:43 mark.

The teams traded the lead six times over the next seven minutes and nine times overall during the opening half. Davis helped Brandywine move back in front 32-31 with a triple; however, Neumann closed the half with a 9-3 surge, giving the Knights a 40-35 halftime advantage.

Neumann clamped down on defense, holding the Lions to just one made basket, a Spencer three-pointer, during the first 4:55 of the second half as the Knights' lead ballooned to 16.

After pushing its edge as large as 21 points at the midway point of the stanza, the Lions clawed back into the game behind seven-straight points from Davis.

James Fisher Jr. (Philadelphia, Pa./Upper Darby) sank a layup at the 6:58 mark to slice the deficit to 11, but Neumann had an answer. Shakeem Stevens responded with a lay in and DeShawn Lowman followed with a three-pointer for the Knights.

Brandywine cut the lead under 10 during the final minutes of the game; however, Neumann connected on 4-of-4 free throws with under 20 seconds to play to secure the win.

For the second consecutive day, Fisher paced three Lions in double-figure scoring, making 7-of-18 shots from the field, including a trio of three-pointers, netting 21 points. Davis and Spencer also added three triples each, as Davis poured in 19 points and Spencer contributed 11.

Spencer pulled down a team-best seven rebounds, while Davis collected a game-high six steals and four assists. Fisher added four steals, four boards and three assists for Brandywine, which shot 38 percent (24-63) from the floor. 33 of the Lions' 63 field goal attempts came from beyond the arc.

Anthony Fuscarello delivered a game-best 23 points, while Eric Cotton (13 points, 13 rebounds) and Lowman (14 points, 10 rebounds) both recorded double-doubles.

Neumann made nearly 56 percent of its shots from the field, but Brandywine forced the Knights into 24 turnovers. The Lions scored 21 points off Knight miscues.

The Lions and Knights will square off again on Wednesday when Brandywine visits the Mirenda Center for a 7:00 pm tip-off.