February 27, 2013

Knights Fall in First Round of USCAA DII National Tournament

Host Penn State Fayette Tops VTC 79-66

Penn State Fayette

Vermont Tech

Final

Penn State Fayette

Vermont Tech

Uniontown, PA - The 7th seeded Knights of Vermont Tech were upset in the first round of the USCAA Basketball DII Nationals by 10th seed and host Roaring Lions of Penn State Fayette.

The game started slowly for both teams, with slightly sloppy play possibly stemming from the nerves of young teams playing in the USCAA National Tournament. At 15:08 it was only 4-0 in favor of the Knights, until the Lions broke through connecting on two free throws. Brandon Matano (Jr./Honolulu, HI) began his scoring shortly thereafter with a 3, and throughout the game would become the bright spot on the court for the Knights.

Vermont Tech just seemed out of sorts, which could be in part due to Penn State's pressure and opportunistic defense. In the end, the Lions would force 20 Knight turnovers, which translated to 25 points for the host team. In contrast, the Lions turned the ball over just 12 times leading to 11 points for the Knights.

The game hit the halftime break with the Lions up one, 37-36.

Throughout the second half, the Lions slowly extended their lead. With the score 48-44 in favor of the host, Senior Josh Lindsey (Palm Bay, FL) picked up his fourth foul and was forced to go to the bench. The Lions started pounded it down low, focusing on the paint and securing rebound after rebound.

The Lions kept gaining extra possessions, either by snagging rebounds or being just slightly quicker to loose balls. This theme eventually doomed the Knights, as they were never able to mount any solid momentum to make a run at the Lions. Even so, at the 8:06 mark VTC trailed by just one, 60-59, after a Matano layup. Then again down only by one, 65-64, after an Andrew Scott (Fr./Melbourne, FL) 3-pointer.

In the next two minutes, however, Penn State went on a 10-0 run to put away the Knights. Eventually they settled on the final, defeating Vermont Tech 79-66.

Matano, coming off the bench, led the Knights with 25 points on 10 of 18 shooting. Freshman Kyle Kissenberth (Winter Park, FL) was second on the team in scoring with 12. Alex Tyrrell (Sr./Sydney, Australia) led the team in rebounding with 8.

Brandon Cunnigham led Fayette with 25 points, 8 rebounds on 10 of 20 shooting. David Winn contributed a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds. James Pratt was the other Lion in double figures, scoring 15.

Rebounding was a huge difference maker in the game, as Fayette battled on the boards and beat the Knights in that arena 46-35. That 11 rebound victory led directly to a 14 point advantage for the Lions, holding the second chance point edge 24-10.

Although the loss knocks the Knights out of the championship bracket, their season is not complete. Thursday Vermont Tech moves to their final contest of the season in the consolation bracket where they will take of Albany College of Pharmacy at 1:15pm. Earlier in the season, the Knights defeated Albany 63-44.