DALLAS, PA- Ahmodrion Jones (Wilmington, DE/Delcastle Tech) scored 20 points to lead three Giants in double figures as the Keystone College men's basketball team fell to Misericordia University, 102–77, Tuesday evening at the Anderson Sports-Health Center.
Izeir Mayben (Troy, NY/Elevation Prep) added 17 points and four rebounds, while Niame Scott (Philadelphia, PA/Mount Pleasant) supplied 12 points off the bench. Keystone shot 48.3 percent from the field and received 34 points from its reserves in the nonconference matchup.
Jones finished 10-for-14 from the floor, pairing his scoring with a team-high four assists and two steals. Mayben went 5-for-6 from the field, connected on his lone made three-pointer and converted six of seven free throws. Scott knocked down three three-pointers while adding two assists and two steals.
Keystone established an early advantage behind Mayben and Jones. Mayben opened the scoring with two free throws before Jones connected on a jumper for a 4–2 lead. A Mayben three-pointer off an Elijah Laird (Deltona, FL/Florida Memorial University) assist pushed the Giants ahead, 7–4, and Jones followed with a transition layup to make it 9–5 with 15:25 remaining in the opening half.
After Misericordia tied the game at nine, Jones put Keystone back in front with another fast-break finish. Nick Williams (Dallas, PA/Dallas) then added a putback to give the Giants a 13–9 advantage with 12:41 left.
The Cougars moved ahead during the middle portion of the half, but Keystone continued to find answers offensively. Scott connected from beyond the arc to bring the Giants within one at 17–16, and Josh Brown (Phillipsburg, NJ/Bethlehem Catholic) followed with a putback to make it 19–18 with 9:38 remaining.
Misericordia created separation with a 10–0 stretch, and Keystone responded with baskets from Jones and another Scott three-pointer. Jones continued to produce inside and from midrange, scoring consecutive Giants baskets as the teams traded points.
Trailing 42–27 with just over five minutes remaining before halftime, Keystone put together a 9–3 stretch to bring the deficit back to single digits. Mayben scored twice, including a transition layup following a Scott steal, before Scott buried his third three-pointer of the half. Two more Mayben free throws made it 45–36 with 2:54 to play.
Scott added a jumper and Williams finished a layup off a Jones assist during the closing minutes. Jones capped the half with a basket in the final second, sending Keystone into the break trailing 53–42.
The Giants shot 56.7 percent in the opening half, making 17 of 30 attempts and going 4-for-8 from three-point range. Jones scored 14 points before intermission, while Scott contributed 11 and Mayben added 10.
Misericordia extended its lead early in the second half. Marcus Le Roux (Paris, France/The Patrick School) connected on a three-pointer off a Brown assist, and Lamaj Mapp (Darby, PA/Penn Wood) added a layup off a Daryl Coleman (Allentown, PA/Southern Lehigh) feed as Keystone worked to keep pace.
Jones provided another transition basket midway through the half. Later, consecutive layups from Jones and Mayben, followed by a Scott free throw, brought the Giants within 80–60 with 7:39 remaining. Coleman added a jumper on Keystone's next scoring possession.
The Giants continued to receive contributions from their bench down the stretch. Brown knocked down a three-pointer off a Laird assist, and PJ Murphy (Scranton, PA/Scranton) converted both of his free throws. Gillian Narbutas (Zurich, Switzerland/Gold Coast) added a free throw and a three-pointer before finding Larell Edwards (Fredericksburg, VA/Fork Union Military Academy) for a dunk with 13 seconds remaining.
Coleman led Keystone with six rebounds and three blocks, adding three points, an assist and a steal. Brown contributed five points and four rebounds, while Williams and Narbutas each scored four. Mapp finished with three points, three rebounds and a steal, and Le Roux added three points. Ethan Sakwa (Tobyhanna, PA/Pocono Mountain West), Murphy and Edwards chipped in two points apiece.
Keystone finished with seven three-pointers, 13 assists and six steals, scoring 32 points in the paint.
The Giants return home for the first time this season on Thursday to take on Mount Saint Mary College.
