MEDIA, Pa.- The No. 10 seed Keystone College men's basketball team saw its season end on Saturday night, falling to No. 2 seed Penn State Brandywine, 69-63, in the United East Quarterfinals.
Keystone (8-19) was led by PJ Murphy's (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) 21 points, as the guard knocked down six three-pointers and added eight rebounds. Jden Golding (Jacksonville, Fla./Clay) poured in a game-high 22 points, including 16 in the second half, while going 8-of-13 from the free-throw line.
Niame Scott (Philadelphia, Pa./Mount Pleasant) chipped in 10 points off the bench, and Demetrius Thomas (Atlanta, Ga./North Clayton) contributed five rebounds and two blocks.
The Giants jumped out to a 10-3 lead behind a pair of early three-pointers from Murphy and a jumper by Golding. Penn State Brandywine answered with a steady push inside, capitalizing on second-chance opportunities and points in the paint to erase the deficit.
The Nittany Lions closed the first half on a run to take a 32-28 advantage into the break. Keystone shot 30 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes but stayed within striking distance by hitting 5-of-12 from beyond the arc.
In the second half, the teams continued to trade blows. Golding attacked the rim and got to the foul line repeatedly, helping Keystone knot the score on multiple occasions. Murphy's fourth three-pointer of the game gave the Giants a brief lead midway through the half.
Penn State Brandywine responded with balanced scoring, placing four players in double figures. Corwin Holland II scored 18 points, Ja'bri White added 16 points and eight rebounds, and Ahmaar Godhania provided a key spark off the bench with 12 points.
The Nittany Lions also held a 22-10 edge in bench scoring and outscored Keystone 26-16 in the paint.
Trailing 67-60 in the final minute, Keystone had one last push. After a defensive stop, Murphy buried a three-pointer with eight seconds remaining to trim the deficit to 67-63. Forced to foul, the Giants sent Godhania to the line, where he calmly sank two free throws with five seconds left to seal the outcome.
Penn State Brandywine shot 36.8 percent from the field and held a 15-9 advantage in assists while committing just nine turnovers. Keystone finished 8-of-23 from three-point range and posted a 33.9 field goal percentage.
