Mont Alto Men’s Basketball Best the Reigning USCAA Champions

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

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The combination of JR Powe (Frederick, Md. / Thomas Johnson) and John Teague (Hagerstown, Md. / North Hagerstown) combined for 47 points as the Penn State Mont Alto men's basketball team knocked off the defending USCAA National Champion, PSU Wilkes-Barre by a 80-75 score. With the win on Saturday Mont Alto improved to 20-4 and 16-2 within the PSUAC.

Inside the Box Score

• JR Powe (Frederick, Md. / Thomas Johnson) rose to the occasion and led all scorers with 28 points. The freshman forward knocked down 3-of-4 attempts from downtown, while also grabbing 11 rebounds.
• Mont Alto worked the post all afternoon long with sophomore center John Teague (Hagerstown, Md. / North Hagerstown) netting 19 points as he did most of his damage at the free throw line. Teague converted 9-of-15 from the charity stripe.
• Mont Alto finished the game shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from 3-point range.
• The game featured 10 lead changes and two different ties. Wilkes-Barre shot 54.7 percent from the field. Khalil White, Jayden Hampton, and Kevin Sliverberg each scored 11 points.

How it Happened

• Quintyn Flemister (Harrisburg, Pa. / Harrisburg) hit the opening shot of the game, draining a 3-pointer. Six minutes later, Powe converted on his jumper to give Mont Alto the 16-13 lead.
• A steal from Darrius Bush (Martinsburg, W.Va. / Spring Mills) and a transition 3-pointer from Marcus Roper (Charles Town, W. Va. / Jefferson) gave his team the 30-20 lead.
• Wilkes-Barre steadily clawed back during the final 10 minutes of the half and went into the break with a 41-40 advantage They were the more aggressive team coming out of halftime and built an eight-point (50-42) lead three minutes into the period.
• Mont Alto's defense held them scoreless for the next seven minutes and was able to regain the lead at 51-50 with another Powe jumper. The teams traded baskets before Powe tied the score at 71 points apiece with 3:01 left.
• Powe nailed a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession and Mont Alto's defense was firm down the stretch as they held on for the victory.

Up next, Mont Alto closes out the regular season on Friday, February 21 at home against Penn State Brandywine. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. and Mont Alto will also celebrate Senior Day during a pregame ceremony.