Scranton Lions Roar Back for Big Win Over Williamson

By: Ross Turetsky, Penn State Scranton Athletics

DUNMORE, Pa - On Friday night, the Penn State Scranton Lions men's basketball squad were victorious in their opening round tip-off tournament they are hosting with a solid 72-64 win over non-conference foe Williamson. With the home triumph, Scranton evens up their overall record at 2-2 and they remain a perfect 2-0 on their home floor to kick-off the young hoops season.

The road warriors from Williamson had an early six point, 37-31, advantage heading into the half-time break in the action, before the Lions came roaring back and outscored their opponent by a whopping 14 points, 41-27, in the game's final 20-minutes of play to ensure the eight point triumph when the contest's final buzzer sounded.

Scranton had a trio of players score in double digits on the day, as junior big man Marcus Delesline, fellow junior Jaiden Wiggins, and senior Macio Robinson led the way for their ball club. Delesline notched a double-double with his stalwart game-high 21 points and 14 rebounds, to go along with his pair of assists. Wiggins tallied 14 points, on a highly efficient 5-6 shooting from the field, was a flawless 2-2 from three point land, and had six steals, five boards, two assists, and a block. Last but certainly not least, Robinson put up 13 points, hit a trio of shots from beyond the arc, had a pair of assists, a couple of steals, and a rebound on the day. Honorable mention goes to sophomore center Chase Medina who just missed out on a double-double of his own, with his solid nine points and nine boards, to go along with his hat trick of blocks, two steals, and an assist.

Meanwhile, Williamson had a quartet of players put up double figure scoring performances during the festivities, as Robert Wiley, Jordon Draine, Garrett Watkins, and Corby Bennett set the pace for their squad. Wiley tallied a team-high 15 points, was a lethal 4-7 from downtown, and added a trio of rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals. Draine came off the bench and provided his team with a much needed spark, as he put up 15 points on a near flawless 7-9 shooting from the field, was 1-2 from three point range, to go along with four boards, and an assist. Watkins put up a solid 10 points, made a three pointer, had five rebounds, and a couple of assists. Finally, Bennett also scored 10 points, on a quality 4-9 shooting from the field and 2-3 from long range, to go along with his three boards, and two steals in the contest.

Now first-year head coach Michael Foder will lead his 2-2 Penn State Scranton Lions basketball squad in the tip-off tournament championship game on Saturday evening, with a scheduled opening tip of 6pm.