Smith Named 2017 John E. Benchoff Tournament MVP; Mont Alto Begins Season 2-0

By: Frank Maira, Assistant Director of Athletics/Sports Information Director

MONT ALTO, Pa. – The Penn State Mont Alto men's basketball team cruised past Williamson College of the Trades on Saturday winning 74-66 to begin its season 2-0. Jalen Smith  (Ranson, W. Va. / Jefferson) had another double-double for Mont Alto and was named the John E. Benchoff Tournament MVP with Marcus Roper (Charles Town, W. Va. / Jefferson) and Terrell Campbell (Germantown, Md. / St. John's College Prep) being named to the All-Tournament team. Benchoff is recognized as the as the winningest coach in Mont Alto history as the program also celebrated Alumni Weekend with an alumni scrimmage Saturday morning.

How it Happened

• Penn State Mont Alto had a huge first half, out-scoring Williamson College of the Trades 36-20 while holding the Mechanics to 26.9% (7-for-26) shooting from the field.
• Jalen Smith  (Ranson, W. Va. / Jefferson) led the team in scoring for the second-straight game with 21 points with nine of those points coming from the charity stripe. Smith added a pair of blocks and collected 11 rebounds. He ranks fourth in the PSUAC in scoring averaging 22.5 points per game.
• The Nittany Lions out-rebounded its opponent for the second-straight game holding a 38-28 advantage over Williamson College of the Trades. Mont Alto also forced 10 turnovers scoring nine points off them.
• The freshman duo of Quintyn Flemister (Harrisburg, Pa. / Harrisburg) and Jordan Gillis (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East) were dynamite off of head coach Jack Schenzel's bench with the pair scoring a combined 27 points. Flemister stuffed the stat sheet adding six boards, three steals with two assists. Gillis was a perfect 2-of-2 from downtown.
• Overall, the Penn State Mont Alto bench out-scored Williamson & Trade 30-4. The Mechanics played better in the second half cutting the deficit two four points on several occasions. The lead was even cut down to three, but a momentum building three-pointer from Marcus Roper (Charles Town, W. Va. / Jefferson) and clutch free throws down the stretch preserved the 74-66 victory.

Penn State Mont Alto will hit the road for its next contest. The Lions travel to Christendom College to battle the Crusaders on Monday, November 13. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.