Devils Tame Lions

William Kurtz made seven three point field goals as the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia men's basketball team defeated Penn State-Abington, 74-61 in a non-league contest in Abington, Pennsylvania.

The Devils improve to 7-6 with the win. The Lions fall to 8-4.

Kurtz (Sr., Shawnee HS/Shamong, N.J.) led all scorers with 22 points. Lanier (Jr., St. Augustine Prep/Sicklerville, N.J.) added 17 points and a team-high six rebounds. Eric Cangelosi (Sr., Camden Catholic HS/Haddon Heights, N.J.) added 10 points. Lanier and Cangelosi also recorded five assists apiece.

Marvin Dutton led Penn State with 19 points. Chris Caine and Jamaal Oliver added 11 points apiece.

It was Oliver's layup in the first half that pulled the Lions within one, 21-20 with 7:26 to go before the Devils went on an 11-2 run to take a ten point lead, 32-22 with 2:17 left. Lanier started the run with a three point field goal. Cangelosi followed with two free throws and Kurtz hit a 'three' to make it nine straight points for the Devils. Two free throws by Dutton broke the streak, but Kurtz hit another 'trey' to complete the run. Penn State- Abington closed out the half with a 6-2 run, sending the Devils into the locker room at the break with a 34-28 lead.

The Lions cut the lead to four in the opening minutes of the second half but a 12-5 run by the Devils boosted the lead back up to double figures. Kurtz started the run with his third 'three' of the night. Baskets by Michael Mullane (Sr., Cherokee HS/Marlton, N.J.), Lanier and Cangelosi followed and Kurtz capped the run with his fourth three-pointer of the night, making the score 46-35 with 16:38 left.

USP's lead see-sawed between nine and 11 points for the next eight minutes until Dutton's two free throws pulled the Lions within seven, 54-47 with 8:13 left. Kurtz then hit three straight three-pointers as part of a 9-2 run to give the Devils their biggest lead of the game, 63-49 with 6:05 left. The Lions could get no closer than eight points as the Devils made nine of 10 free throws in the final minute to seal the win, 74-61.

For the game, the Devils made 23 of 47 shots (48.9%) from the field, including a season high nine three-point field goals (out of 20 attempts). The Lions made 25 of 56 shots (44.6%) but were just 4-for-18 from beyond the arc (22.2%). USP held a solid advantage on the free throw line, making 19 of 26 shots (73.1%) to PSU's 7 of 8 (all by Dutton). USP also held a slight advantage on the boards 32-30 and committed two fewer turnovers (17 to 19).

The Devils return to action on Saturday, January 13, 2007 when they take on Felician College in a Central Atlantic Collegiate College matchup slated to start at 3 p.m.