McKeesport, Pa. – After a historic 2016/17 season, the Penn State Greater Allegheny Men’s Basketball Team (1-0, 0-0) is out to defend their Penn State University Athletic Conference title and make another run at the USCAA national tournament. They started that journey off on the right foot on Friday as they defeated Butler County Community College (0-1, 0-0) in a landslide 106-76.
It was all PSUGA all day in this contest as they kept their foot on the gas and never stopped. They outscored BCCC in the first half 50-30 and were doing a nice job of passing the ball around. Last season’s PPG leader Jordan Payne (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) came out hot hitting 10 points in the first half shooting 30% from the floor. George Prota (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) played well on the defensive side of the ball collecting a team high eight rebounds in that first half.
Khari Hicks (East Hills, Pa./Imani Christian Academy) came into the game 23 points shy of the 1,000-point mark in his career and through the first half showed a good performance with six points and a team high three assists. Curtis Newby (Sharon, Pa./Sharon HS) and Jeremy McMunn (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) each had eight points going into halftime.
The offense continued to put the pressure on Butler County Community College in the second half. Prota found his offensive groove picking up 12 points in the second half to give him his first double-double of the season. Newby, who played a great game all night, came up big under the net picking up six rebounds in the second half and making those rebounds count turning them into 10 second half points.
Newby and Jordan Payne would finish the day tied for the team lead with 18 points apiece. George Prota scored 14 points and Kenny Rouse (Duquesne, Pa./West Mifflin HS) would round out the top three with 12 points. Prota lead the team with 11 rebounds while Khari Hicks picked up a team leading 12 assists on the day. All 18 players got a chance to play in this contest and it gave a chance for some of the new comers to this year’s team to get some college basketball.
The PSUGA Men’s basketball team will be back in action on Wednesday as they continue their stretch of four straight home games when they face off against Point Park in the second half of a Women’s and Men’s doubleheader at 8 p.m.
