Johnson’s Double-Double Not Enough to Get the Warriors Past Central Penn

Johnson’s Double-Double Not Enough to Get the Warriors Past Central Penn

ENOLA, P.A. – The men's basketball team fell to the Central Pennsylvania College Knights 86-84 on Wednesday, February 12. Freshman forward Deshawn Johnson (Queens, NY) posted his second career double-double against the Knights, finishing the game with 14 points and 12 rebounds. This is Johnson's second double-double in his last two games.

Central Penn entered the game as the number three ranked division II team in the United States College Athletic Association (USCAA). The Warriors entered the contest ranked number 20 in the USCAA for division II schools.  The Knights took an early 21-4 lead to start the game. However, the Warriors would climb back in to cut the lead to three at the break.

Vaughn College would tie the game at 45, early in the second half, after a made three pointer by sophomore guard Michael Pena (Dumont, NJ). Pena ended the game with a team high 21 points, a pair of assists, and three steals. The Knights quickly responded by going on a 14-0 run to regain momentum and control over the game. As in previous games in the season, the Warriors would battle back from a large second half deficit to give themselves a chance to win the game.

 Maleec Taylor (Rockville Centre, NY) knocked down a huge triple to tie the game at 81 with 2 minutes left to play. The Knights responded with a three of their own to take the lead back. Down by three, Taylor made one free throw and missed one purposely to give in the Warriors a chance to recover the rebound. Unfortunately, for the Warriors a jump ball was called, after Taylor's missed free throw with the possession arrow in favor of the Knights. Time expired after the Knights inbounded the ball giving them a hard fought two point victory.

The Warriors drop to 12-12 with the loss, and will take on Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) opponent Culinary Institute in their final regular season game. The game is scheduled to be played on Saturday, February 14, at Culinary Institute.