Penn State-Fayette put up a good fight in Wednesday's Penn State University Athletic Conference matchup at the Eberly Campus, but Penn State-Beaver exploded for a big lead in the middle of the first half and hung on for an 86-69 victory.
"They did a good job running their offense. They were a hard-working team," Fayette coach Dana Zajicek said. "We were able to cut it to a close deficit, but then we just couldn't withstand that run they would go on."
Fayette (1-7, 1-3) played well early in the game, matching Beaver basket-for-basket and taking an early 8-6 lead when Ray Nickens cut between a pair of defenders to score. Penn State-Beaver rattled off a few buckets, but the host Roaring Lions were still within a basket of the lead, thanks to a 3-point play from Nickens, until Zach Fetchin keyed a 17-3 run to help Beaver go up, 30-14. Fetchin tossed in eight points during that stint, and though Nickens and Cedric Williams were able to close the gap for Fayette, the home team still trailed, 38-31, at the half.
Fetchin led Beaver with 26 points, but Nickens topped all scorers with 30 points. Williams finished with 14.
Nickens scored the majority of his points in the second half and, along with Greg Johnson (13 points), engineered a rally early in the period to pull Penn State-Fayette back to within just a few points of the lead.
Matt Franitti (11 points) sank a 3 as Beaver looked to extend its half-time lead, but Nickens and Johnson each put in a couple of shots, and Mike Speelman took a break from playing solid defense to score a basket of his own. Williams' 3-point play had Fayette's deficit whittled down to three at 49-46, but Fetchin and Matt Collingwood took control of the game. Joe Daransky (13 points) and Billy Stoughton helped out by tossing in a couple of 3s as Beaver went on another big run to lead, 67-49.
Nickens tried to get Fayette back in the game, and Williams and Erik Leach contributed a few points, but Beaver (2-6, 2-1) got strong efforts down the stretch from Mike Verostek, Chancelor Humphrey and Daransky to seal the win.
Zajicek said Nickens has been stepping up for Fayette all season, but he needs a little more offensive support from some of his teammates.
"Ray does a good job, but we need a more conscious team effort," Zajicek said. "We do look for Ray to be a leader for us, but it takes a team."
Penn State-Fayette will visit Penn College on Saturday. Penn State-Beaver will travel to Penn State-Schuylkill on Friday.
