Greater Allegheny No Match for Mont Alto in 76-56 Rout

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

McKEESPORT, Pa.  – The Penn State Mont Alto men's basketball team rolled to its fourth-straight victory and third-straight PSUAC win, as the Nittany Lions posted a 76-56 triumph over Penn State Greater Allegheny  (11-6, 6-3 PSUAC) on Friday.

Inside the Box Score

• Jalen Smith (Ranson, W. Va. / Jefferson) once again led Mont Alto in scoring pouring in a game-high 25 points. Smith the reigning PSUAC Player of the Week, hit 3-of-9 from downtown and has upped his scoring to 20.4 points per game. The junior guard ranks fifth in the PSUAC in scoring and is 13^th in 3-point percentage as he is shooting at a 37.5 percent clip.
• High School teammate and fellow Jefferson High product Marcus Roper (Charles Town, W. Va. / Jefferson) had a career-high game corralling 10 rebounds, he also had three steals and three assists. The redshirt freshman guard scored 5 points and is averaging 9.2 points per game.
• Quintyn Flemister (Harrisburg, Pa. / Harrisburg) came off Coach Schenzel's bench and filled the stat sheet with 10 points, five steals, four assists, and three rebounds in 20 minutes.
• Jordan Gillis (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East) made the most of his six minutes on the floor shooting 5-of-6 from the field and was a perfect 2-of-2 from 3-point range for 12 points.
• The Mont Alto defense stifled Greater Allegheny especially in the early going holding the home team to just 29.4 percent from the field.

How it Happened

• The teams traded baskets in the early minutes before Mont Alto's defense locked in and the team went on an 8-2 run to close the first half.  The Nittany Lions carried a 46-27 lead into the halftime break.
• PSUGA tried to get back into the game in the second half with the 3-pointer, hitting a pair of daggers before Mont Alto locked up its defense again and eventually built up a 25-point lead after a Jalen Smith (Ranson, W. Va. / Jefferson) jumper.
• Penn State Mont Alto (10-8, 4-5 PSUAC) held a 38-28 advantage in rebounds and scored 26 points off PSUGA turnovers.
• The Mont Alto bench made the most of its minutes scoring a combined 32 points. The Nittany Lions also held Greater Allegheny's leading scorer Jordan Payne to a season-low 4 points. The junior guard came into Friday's matchup averaging over 21 points per game.

Penn State Mont Alto will have a quick turnaround in another pivotal PSUAC road matchup with Penn State Beaver. Game time is slated for 4 p.m.