Jalen Smith’s 26 Points Leads Mont Alto Past New Kensington

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

MONT ALTO, Pa. – The Penn State Mont Alto men's basketball team squeaked past the visiting New Kensington Lions on Friday by a score of 75-71. Jalen Smith (Ranson, W. Va / Jefferson) who poured in 26 points led Mont Alto and was red-hot all evening from 3-point range shooting 66.7% (6-of-9) from distance.

Inside the Box Score

• Jalen Smith (Ranson, W. Va / Jefferson) has now scored in double figures in 13 games this season and has put up 20 or more points in 10 of those games. The junior guard is also shooting 60 percent from the field in his last four games.
• Terrell Campbell (Germantown, Md. / St. John's College Prep) had an outstanding game as the floor general for Mont Alto dishing out a season-high 10 assists in the win. The junior also didn't turn the ball over for the Nittany Lions and is now averaging nearly 5 assists per game.
• Penn State Mont Alto (7-8, 2-5 PSUAC) outscored the visitors 41-30 in the first half, but New Kensington played a much better second half outscoring them by seven in the final stanza to make things interesting down the stretch.
• PSU New Kensington (4-8, 2-5 PSUAC) was led by Keith Corbett who scored a game-high 30 points and collected 12 rebounds.

How it Happened

• Mont Alto raced out to an 8-0 lead after a pair of 3-pointers from Jalen Smith (Ranson, W. Va / Jefferson) and Marcus Roper (Charles Town, W. Va. / Jefferson) who also added a layup on the first possession of the game.
• Mont Alto played suffocating defense especially in the first half holding PSUNK to 39.3 percent shooting from the field and 0-f-6 from 3-point range.
• Penn State Mont Alto built up a 16-point lead in the first as they also led from start to finish.
• A key to the victory for Mont Alto was they forced 18 turnovers and held a 24-4 advantage in bench points.
• Jihad Warner (Philadelphia, Pa. / Swenson Arts and Technology) had a huge block in the second half that swung the momentum back in Mont Alto's favor after the visitors cut the deficit to four points. Warner finished the game with nine points and tied for a team-high with six rebounds and hit his free throws down the strech as well.

Penn State Mont Alto returns to action tomorrow when it hosts Penn State Fayette in another pivotal PSUAC showdown. Game time is slated for 4 p.m.