Lions top University of Maine-Fort Kent

By: Matylda Zamudio

MONACA, Pa.–– The Penn State Beaver men's basketball team earned its first win of the new year by outlasting the University of Maine-Fort Kent in Tuesday's tough contest, 72-70.

Senior guard John Foster (Austin/Del Valle) led the way for Beaver by earning a double-double with a game-high 28 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Sophomore forward/center Jeremy Redwine (Merced) also finished with a double-double tonight with 14 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, one assist and one block.

Junior guard Keon Butler (Annapolis/Star Severn School) put up 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.

1st half: Beaver opened up the game with a 5-0 run, but the University of Maine-Fort Kent quickly tied it up. At 10:34, Butler scored back-to-back layups to put the Lions up by 6 points (13-7). However, the University of Maine-Fort Kent scored the next 9 unanswered points to take the lead from Beaver (16-13). But Beaver got hot in the final two minutes of the first, outscoring University of Maine-Fort Kent 9-2 to take a 7-point lead before halftime (32-25).

2nd half: The teams battled back and forth, with Beaver maintaining a two to three-possession lead for most of the period until the University of Maine-Fort Kent got within 1 point with 21 seconds left on the clock. But thanks to Butler and Foster making two free throws in the final seconds of the game, it was Beaver who pulled away with a tight 72-70 win for the evening.

Inside the Box: Beaver shot 48.3 percent from the field, hitting 28-58 shots, 26.7 percent from 3-point range on 4-15 shots and 85.7 percent from the free-throw line, hitting 12-14 from the charity stripe.

After tonight's win, the Lions improve to 7-7 overall. Beaver will be back at home Friday, Jan. 17, where they will face off against PSUAC rival Penn State Lehigh Valley. The game is slated for 8 p.m.