READING, PA (January 25, 2011) – Four Nittany Lions scored in double digits, but Valley Forge Christian College downed the Penn State Berks men's team 97-85 in a nonconference shootout at Beaver Community Center on Tuesday evening.
Tom Smith tallied 18 points to lead the Nittany Lions (6-10). He shot 60 percent from the floor and converted 6-of-8 free throws. Smith also handed out five assists and recorded three steals.
Shawn Green came to life in the second half, finishing one point shy of matching his career high. The freshman guard registered 15 of his 17 points after the intermission. He was 4-for-5 from beyond the arc, with all of those baskets coming in a span of three minutes, 22 seconds. In that time, he had 12 of the Lions 16 points.
The Lions trailed 46-38 at the half, but behind Green's shooting spree and the defense stepping up the Lions were able to grab a 59-58 lead with 13:18 remaining in the contest. The Patriots (19-4) used a 16-6 run to regain the lead and put the game out of reach.
The Patriots were powered by Michael Stum's 35 points and 13 rebounds, which were both game highs. Stum shot a blistering 89 percent on 16-of-18 shooting from the floor. As a team, the Patriots had 68 shooting percentage and were 6-for-16 on 3-pointers.
Connor Hough added 14 points and Rory Sullivan chipped in a career-high 12, to round out the Lions in double figures. Tore Turner had a strong all around performance with eight points, six assists and four steals.
The Lions shot 47 percent, but were unable to keep up with the red hot Patriots. Another factor working against Berks was being outrebounded by a 42-20 margin.
The men will travel to this weekend for North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) contests at SUNY Cobleskill and SUNYIT. Saturday's contest tips off at 3 p.m. and Sunday's is set for 2 p.m.
