Tom Smith running
Gene Walsh
75
Winner Penn State Berks PSBM1213 13-11, 11-3 NEAC
67
Gallaudet GALM1213 10-15, 6-8 NEAC
Winner
Penn State Berks PSBM1213
13-11, 11-3 NEAC
75
Final
67
Gallaudet GALM1213
10-15, 6-8 NEAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Penn State Berks PSBM1213 34 41 75
Gallaudet GALM1213 34 33 67

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men's basketball wins first division title in program history



WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 16, 2013) - For the first time program history, the Penn State Berks men's basketball team is the NEAC South Division Champions after Tom Smith fueled the Nittany Lions to a 75-67 victory over Gallaudet University on Saturday afternoon. (Boxscore)

That win, paired with a loss by Penn State Abington, gave Berks the division crown. The NEAC Championship will be hosted by Morrisville State College. The semifinal round will be on Saturday, February 23 and the championship will be held on Sunday, February 24. Please check back later for full playoff seedings and game times.

In the win over Gallaudet, Smith poured in a career-high 31 points which is tied for the third most in scored in a game in school history. The junior center shot 14-of-19 from the field and was 3-for-5 at the foul line. Smith also recorded nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals. He leads the Nittany Lions with a scoring average of 14.3 points per game. Smith has turned up his offensive output as of late, averaging 21.4 points over the final five contests of the season.

Dameon Nixon carried his momentum over from Friday night where he hit the gamewinning shot with 2.3 seconds left on the clock. In today's game, the freshman guard registered 12 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Darren Major and Evan Belczyk were the next top scorers, after each finished with seven points.

Berks largest lead of the first half was seven points and the Bison never were up by more than two points. There were five lead changes and the game was tied 11 times in the opening half, including the halftime score of 34-all.

The Nittany Lions never trailed in second half, but were never able to pull away from Gallaudet. DONTEZ REID put a dagger in the comeback effort by the Bison after knocking down a 3-pointer with 1:49 left.

Smith was not the only person making it rain this afternoon, as Gallaudet's big man Danny Kelly finished with a contest-high 32 points. The senior center also grabbed 11 boards and had two blocked shots. Layton Seeber recorded 13 points and handed out four assists.

The Nittany Lions defeated Gallaudet 75-72 in a thriller that came down to a missed three at the buzzer. It was the first time the Berks has swept the season series in the three years that the Bison have been a part of the NEAC.

Berks has won three straight and five of their final six regular season games to give them momentum going into the conference playoffs. The Nittany Lions were ousted in the semifinal round of last year's NEAC Championship by tournament host and eventual champion Morrisville State.
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