Men’s Basketball Defeats Brandywine, Advances

Penn State York Men's Basketball defeated Penn State Brandywine, 77–73, on Tuesday evening, February 19 in an opening-round Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) playoff game at home. York, the #2 seed in the East, bested Brandywine, the #3 seed and defending conference champion, for the third time this season, and now moves on to the semifinals.

The two teams were evenly matched throughout the night, with the game featuring an incredible 17 lead changes. Both teams would shoot an identical 39.3% from the floor in the defensive battle, while York held a very slight edge in rebounding, 34–33, and turnovers 7–10.

Brandywine made a long heave at the halftime buzzer to take a 38–35 lead into the break. York would next catch the visitors six minutes into the second half, and the back-and-forth action continued until a Sahnei Day (Philadelphia, Pa. / Abraham Lincoln) jump shot gave York a 65–63 lead with 5:45 to play. From there, Justin Luton (Baltimore, Md. / Newtown) and Anthony Bennett, Jr. (Aberdeen, Md. / Aberdeen) made a few jump shots before Derrick Hoffman (Manchester, Pa. / Northeastern) closed out the win at the free throw line. Overall, York made 22 of its 26 free throws in a game that turned chippy at times.

Individually, Bennett, Jr. led York with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Michael Coleman (York, Pa. / Northeastern) recorded 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocks, while Luton scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half to go with 8 rebounds.

Jordin Brown (Hanover, Pa. / New Oxford) hit two three-pointers in quick succession early in the game to get York's offense going, finishing with 9 points off the bench. Hoffman ended the game with 7 points, while Day added 7 off the bench, and point guard Larry Rascoe (Harrisburg, Pa. / Susquehanna Township) recorded 5 assists and 3 steals.

Penn State York travels to take on Penn State Mont Alto, the #1 seed in the West, on Friday, February 22 at 7:00 p.m., with the winner advancing to the conference championship game at the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday, February 24. In the teams' only meeting during the regular season, York fell just short on the road in mid-January, losing by a final score of 82–78 after coming back from a 17-point second half deficit and briefly holding the lead with under two minutes to play.