Brandywine Secures First Victory In Mustang Classic Consolation Game

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The Penn State Brandywine men's basketball team secured its first victory of the season and a third-place finish at the Mustang Classic by defeating St. Joseph's (Long Island) by a score of 70-60 on Saturday afternoon.

Brandywine received a balanced scoring effort from its offense with four players reaching double figures, led by a 14-point effort from Jack Swider (Conshohocken, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian Academy). Austin McCaughan (Folsom, Pa./Ridley) knocked down a pair of three-pointers and shot 5-for-7 from the field overall to pour in a career-high 12 points, while Corwin Holland II (Bowie, Md./Rock Creek Christian) and Bryan Warren (Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek) both tallied 11 points.

The teams were tied 18-18 near the midway point of the first half, but the final 10 minutes belonged to Brandywine. McCaughan canned a jumper at the 10:15 mark to begin a run of 10-straight Brandywine points. Damir Shelley (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) followed with a triple and Warren contributed four consecutive markers before Shelley added a free throw for a 28-18 Brandywine edge.

The Lions continued to pull away over the final four minutes of the period as McCaughan sank a layup and Jaden Fogg (Morrisville, Pa./Morrisville) contributed four points to make the count 37-24. After St. Joseph's made a free throw, Brandywine netted the final five points of the period as Swider buried a triple and Ja'bri White (Townsend, Del./St. Mark's) added a bucket for a 42-25 Brandywine lead at intermission.

Brandywine held a commanding lead for the duration of the second half, pushing the margin as large as 18 points three times during the first 10 minutes.

Warren collected a team-best six rebounds, while Fogg and Shelley both handed out four assists. Holland and Isaiah Johnson (Levittown, Pa./Conwell-Egan Catholic) each grabbed five rebounds.

Brandywine received 37 points from its reserves and shot nearly 47 percent from the field, while canning 10 three-pointers. The Lions also held a 33-28 edge on the boards.

Brandywine (1-4) travels to Penn State Berks for a non-conference matchup Thursday at 7:00 PM.