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

UNIONTOWN, Pa. – Despite only trailing by four points at halftime, the Penn State Mont Alto men's basketball team was unable to make a second half comeback dropping a 89-73 decision to Vermont Tech. The first round loss in the USCAA National Championships knocked the Lions into the consolation bracket where they will play Southern Maine Community College at 2 p.m. on Monday, March 4.

Inside the Box Score

• Vermont Tech shot 44.6 percent from the floor at 6-of-17 from 3-point range. The Knights had four different players finish in double figures and were led by Jermiah Shaw who scored 21 points.
• Despite shooting 35 attempts from downtown, PSUMA were only able to drain eight of those shots.
• Jalen Smith (Ranson, W.Va. / Jefferson) scored a game-high 24 points with 16 of them happening in the second half. Smith also grabbed eight boards.
• Quintyn Flemister (Harrisburg, Pa. / Harrisburg) and Kevin Holston (Fort Washington, Md. / Friendly) each scored 14 points. Flemister grabbed eight rebounds, assisted four buckets and caused two turnovers.
• The game featured one tie and seven different lead changes with Vermont Tech leading by as many 16 in the second half.

How it Happened

• Mont Alto jumped out to an early 7-6 lead after a John Teague (Hagerstown, Md. / North Hagerstown) layup that was assisted by Terrell Campbell (Germantown, Md. / St. John's College Prep).
• The Lions continued to surge and were up 14-9 after a Flemister layup with 14:30 left in the half. Vermont Tech went on a 10-1 run over the next four minutes to retake the lead. The Knights built a 29-20 advantage that forced a timeout with just over seven minutes in the half.
• Mont Alto fought back to regain the lead at 36-35 with a Jalen Smith (Ranson, W.Va. / Jefferson) runner in the paint. VT Tech took a four-point advantage (40-36) in the halftime break.
• The Knights extended their lead to 16 points with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game. PSUMA locked down a bit defensively, but couldn't muster a comeback down the stretch as the shooting stayed cold and the Knights closed out the game with an 89-73 victory.

Mont Alto returns to action tomorrow afternoon in the consolation side of the USCAA National Championships and will take on Southern Maine Community College at 2 p.m.