Mount Vernon, Ohio – Men's basketball improved to 2-0 Friday afternoon, opening the MVNU Classic with a 79-61 victory over Penn State – Allegheny.
The Bears were led by standout newcomer
Shaunn Monroe who dropped 21 points and led the team with six rebounds.
Devin Collins and
Jacob Brown also scored double digits, scoring 12 and 11, respectively.
As a team, the Bears shot 41 percent from the floor, dropping in just 7 of 32 shots from beyond the arc. UPIKE's most notable advantage came in the points off turnovers category, capitalizing with 35 points on PSU-Allegheny's mistakes.
UPIKE soared out to a 37-22 lead in the first half, led by Monroe who shot 5-9 and headed into the break with 12 points. PSU had built a lead after the opening five minutes but the Bears created opportunities and launched a 14-5 run lasting over five minutes. From the eight-minute mark, PSU dwindled the Bears' momentum and played it close but the Bears still took the 11-8 advantage in the last eight minutes of the first.
The Bears went into the locker room with a 21 to 15 rebound advantage, aided by Collins and
Mark Vance Jr. who had four each.
Another major factor in the game for UPIKE was points in the paint, which the Bears topped PSU 40-36. This became a contributor in the second half as the Bears played closely with PSUA, outscoring them by just two points throughout the first 10 minutes. In the final eight minutes, it was the Bears bench who would hold out the advantage to secure the victory.
UP NEXT
UPIKE men's basketball return to action tomorrow, Saturday, November 12
th against Olivet Nazarene in game two of the MVNU Classic.
