Behrend Men's Basketball Falls in AMCC Championship

Behrend Men's Basketball Falls in AMCC Championship

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Darius Lawrence knocked down a pair of go-ahead free throws with 30 seconds remaining to lift No. 1 La Roche past No. 3 Penn State Behrend 62-61 in the AMCC Championship game on Saturday afternoon.

ScoreLa Roche 62, Penn State Behrend 61

Records: Penn State Behrend (20-8), La Roche (21-6)

Key Moments:

* La Roche claimed their fourth AMCC Crown and denied Behrend the chance of winning back-to-back titles
* In true championship style, there were 10 ties and 13 lead changes in the game
* The Redhawks led by as much as nine in the second half while the Lions could only get ahead by one
* There was only a three-point or less lead for the final seven minutes of the game
* Behrend, down by eight at halftime, outscored the Redhawks 38-31 in the second half thanks in part to Kenny Fukon's (Cranberry Township, PA/Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic) 15 points
* Fukon had the ball in the final seconds and had his driving layup rim out to give La Roche the championship
* Fukon had a game-high 21 points, going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line
* Dorian Connors (Girard, PA/Girard) hit the boards for his sixth double-digit rebounding game with a team-best 10
* Tyler Gates (Titusville, PA/Titusville) was one rebound short of the double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds
* Lawrence tallied a team-best 15 points and three assists for the Redhawks

Noteworthy:

* Fukon and Gates were named to the All-Tournament Team

Up Next:

* The Behrend Lions are awaiting a bid to the ECAC Postseason Tournament, announced on Monday afternoon.