On Sunday, Mar. 10 at 1 p.m., the Penn State Wilkes-Barre men's basketball team continued their season in their first playoff game in the USCAA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship in Petersburg, Virginia. Their first opponent was Southern Maine Community College, the USCAA's 2022 DII National Champions.
#4 junior Rashod Ballard (Largo, Maryland/Ann Arundel C.C.) started the scoring with a three-pointer, making it the first points of the game. Almost 4 minutes went by with no scoring on either team, until Southern Maine made a point on a free throw.
#13 Jedidiah Ashton (Brooklyn, New York/Monroe College) continued scoring with a jump shot, putting two points on the board. He then made another jump shot in under a minute, giving the Mountain Lions a total of four points.
Southern Maine could not make up the points in the first half of the game, earning only one point in the 8 minutes played. #14 senior Teequan Holley (Queens, New York/Sullivan C.C.) made both of his free throws, putting the Mountain Lions 8 points ahead.
The Mountain Lions were dominating on the court, giving their opponents little chance to score. #12 senior Jalen Willis (Baltimore, Maryland/Genesse C.C.) made a jump shot, with #15 senior Wilvens Fleurizard following closely behind with a layup.
Jedidiah Ashton made four more points within a few minutes, as well as Jalen Willis. Wilvens Fleurizard made a layup off an assist by Rashod Ballard, and then Ballard went on to make his own layup.
Rashod Ballard also made a tip-in, gaining two points for the team. With less than three minutes in the game, there was a clear gap in score between the teams. After Chase Monroe made a layup, the score was 31-10, putting the Mountain Lions more than 20 points ahead of Southern Maine.
The Mountain Lions went on to make six more points before the end of the half, keeping their 20-point lead. The score at halftime was 37-17 Wilkes-Barre.
The second half started with Chase Monroe making a jump shot for Wilkes-Barre. Wilvens Fleurizard made four points from a jump shot and layup. With 14 and a half minutes left, Jalen Willis made a jump shot, giving his team two more points.
After Rashod Ballard made a three-point shot, it brought the Mountain Lions' score to 50, their more than 20-point lead remaining strong. Wilkes-Barre maintained a steady lead throughout the rest of the second half, showing their determination to keep advancing in the tournament.
The Mountain Lions were at least 20 points ahead during the rest of their playing time. Within the last 13 minutes of the game, Wilkes-Barre made 30 points, securing their win. The final score was 80-49 Wilkes-Barre.
Top points scorers were Rashod Ballard with 17, Wilvens Fleurizard with 16, and Jedidiah Ashton with 14.
Penn State Wilkes-Barre moves on to the next round of playoffs on Monday, Mar. 11, against NHTI at 2 p.m. Tune in by purchasing access on the USCAA's website here.
Written by Kyler Burke
Photo Credits: USCAA