Langhorne, PA – Keystone College used a pair of crucial second half runs, one early and one late, to ring in 2015 with an 80-67 victory over Cairn University in Colonial State Athletic Conference men's basketball action on Wednesday evening at Cairn's Mason Activity Center. Three players reached double-figures to lead the Giants (1-8, 1-3 CSAC) to their first victory of the season while the Highlanders remain winless in 10 contests on the campaign (0-4 CSAC).
Holding a 40-38 lead 2:11 into the second half,
Miles Dargan (Orlando, FL/Wekiva) connected on a three-pointer that ignited a 10-0 run that gave Keystone a 50-38 lead with 15 minutes remaining in regulation. The Giants stretched their lead to as many as 14 points before Cairn used a late push to draw within five points, 72-67, with 2:44 left to play, but Keystone pulled away with the win, scoring the final eight points of the contest while holding the Highlanders out of the cylinder the in the closing minutes.
Duncan Lunsford (Marietta, GA/Sprayberry) led Keystone with 20 points on an 8-11 effort from the floor, Dargan netted 14 points, and
Dan Candemeres (Holbrook, NY/Sachem East) finished the contest with 13 points to lead the Giants offensively in the victory.
Rashaud Kelley (Sharon, PA/Paul Laurence Dunbar) added nine points and two steals for the visitors in the victory as Keystone finished the night shooting 42.6 percent from the floor, 35.7 percent from three-point range, and 69.2 percent from the free throw line.
Tyreek Peeples (Philadelphia, PA/Girard College) tied for a game-high with four assists for the Giants while Dargan dished out three helpers on the night. Peeples and Lunsford had four rebounds apiece to pace the squad while Lunsford finished with a game-high four steals. Candemeres also blocked two shots for Keystone.
Cairn's Reuben Lacy led all players with 28 points and 11 rebounds while J.D. Zamroz added 14 points and four assists for the Highlanders, who connected on 50 percent of their shots from the floor while going 36.4 percent from beyond the arc and 81 percent from the charity stripe.
Cairn built the biggest lead of the first half – eight points – at the 10:52 mark when Aaron Stovall hit a pair of free throws to give the Highlanders a 22-14 edge, but Keystone countered with a 7-0 run capped off by a
Jesse Longmire (Harlem, NY/John S. Burke Catholic) dunk at the 8:24 mark that brought Keystone to within a single point.
The Giants tied the game at 26-26 on a trey from
Deion Monroe (Kingston, NY/Kingston ) at the 4:38 mark of the first half and after trailing by one, Keystone outscored the hosts 9-2 over the final 2:07 of the period to hold a 36-30 lead at halftime, an advantage they would not relinquish the rest of the game.
The Giants overcame a 33-20 deficit on the glass by forcing Cairn into 18 turnovers on the night while giving the ball away a season-low six times as a team.
Keystone will look to make it two in a row on Saturday afternoon when they visit Rosemont College for a CSAC contest scheduled to tipoff at 3:00 p.m.
