Scranton Lions Victorious on Senior Night
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
34 | 43 | 77 |
|
|
39 | 50 | 89 |
Team Stats
Central Penn
| Game Statistics | Central Penn | Penn State Scranton |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (31-74) | (30-81) |
| Field Goal % | 41.9% | 37.0% |
| Rebounds | 54 | 27 |
| Assists | 14 | 9 |
| Turnovers | 20 | 6 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 4 | 11 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 9 | 4 |
| Pts in the Paint | 8 | 20 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 17 | 14 |
By: Ross Turetsky, Penn State Scranton Athletics
On Friday evening, the hometown Penn State Scranton Lions men's basketball team celebrated their annual Senior Night festivities in dominant fashion with a commanding 12 point, 89-77, win over non-conference foe the Central Penn Knights. In the pregame ceremonies, Scranton honored the impressive collegiate hoops careers and accomplishments of their graduating seniors, as stand-out sharp shooting guard Fhenyx Scutt, big man Winston Beato, forward Allan Ogando, and forward/center Ryan Cabrera all were recognized in front of their beloved friends and families. With this big bounce back victory, Scranton snapped their mini two game losing streak, all in conference play, and wrapped up their 2025-2026 regular season hoops campaign with an overall mark of 11-16, a dazzling 9-6 on their own home court, and 6-10 in their all-important league play schedule.
In a back-and-forth very competitive first 20-minutes of play, the Lions from Scranton would hold a small five point, 39-34, advantage headed into the half-time break in the action. In the second half, the Lions would keep the pedal to the metal, seizing control of the contest once and for all, and outscored Central Penn 50-43, as they would enjoy their resounding 12 point home triumph when the final buzzer sounded out.
Scranton had a whopping five players put up stellar double digit scoring performances in the showdown, as Scutt, senior All-American guard Jaiden Wiggins, junior guard Elijah Bryant, senior guard Xavier Noble, and fellow senior guard Quadir Hines set the pace offensively for their ball club. Scutt led the way scoring a game-high 23 points on 7-15 shooting, sinking in 4-9 from beyond the arc, going a perfect 5-5 from the charity stripe, while hauling in four rebounds, a quartet of steals, and added an assist for good measure in his stalwart 34-minutes of court time. Wiggins tallied a rock solid 20 points on 8-20 shooting from the floor, making his only three point attempt, going a near flawless 3-4 from the free throw line, to go along with his trio of boards, a pair of assists, a couple of steals, and a block to boot in his top notch 35-minute effort. Bryant eclipsed the impressive 1,000 career point scoring milestone with an early layup on the night, as he contributed 19 points on 7-17 shooting, connecting on 2-9 from downtown, making 3-4 of his free throws, while grabbing two rebounds, and a steal in his 34-minutes of hard work. Noble, who is closing in on 100 career three point shots made, just missed out on a double-double, as he added 10 points and eight boards, shooting 3-9 from the field, going 1-7 from three point land, making all three of his free throw shots, and stole the ball once in just 27-minutes of play. Last but certainly not least, Hines came off the bench and provided a nice spark for his club in his 13-minutes, as he also had 10 points, shooting an efficient 3-6 from the floor, going 1-3 on the three ball, and sunk in 3-5 of his free throw attempts.
Meanwhile, Central Penn had a hat trick of players score in double figures during the battle, as sophomore forward/center Cameron Wilson, junior guard/forward Keon Blanding-Docken, and junior guard Khalil Dukes led the way on the offensive attack for their squad. Wilson scored a team-high 22 points on a lights out 10-16 shooting from the field, making 2-4 of his free throws, to go along with his nine boards, and a block in his quality 34-minutes. Blanding-Docken notched a double-double with his 16 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 7-16 from the floor, making 1-2 from long distance range, going 1-2 on his free throw shots, and dished out four assists in his 36-minute performance. Finally, Dukes picked up 13 points on 4-11 shooting, sinking in 2-5 from three, going 3-5 on his free throw shots, while nabbing eight boards, and five assists in his 31-minutes.
Now head coach Troy Jackson Jr. and his 11-16 Penn State Scranton hoops squad will look to continue their victorious ways when they host conference rival Penn State Schuylkill this Sunday afternoon at 3pm in their first round must win PSUAC league playoff contest. This will be a historic occasion, as Scranton will be hosting their first ever home playoff game in their basketball program's history. Scranton split their two games against Schuylkill this year, as they beat them close at home 105-100 back on January 31st, and then earlier this week on February 9th they lost to them on the road by a 92-69 margin. Meanwhile, head coach Kenton Alston and his struggling 1-19 Central Penn ball club, who are 1-5 in crucial league play, will look to bounce right back from this tough defeat to Scranton and snap their three game losing skid when they next host conference foe Christendom this Tuesday evening, with a scheduled 7pm tip-off start time in their home finale, as they celebrate their Senior Night festivities. Central Penn will be looking to avenge their 81-66 road loss at Christendom from back on December 10th.
