Jean Nets Second Double-Double In Loss To Penn St.-Abington

ABINGTON, Pa. – Junior Jordan Jean (Englewood, N.J.) recorded his second collegiate double-double, but the Wells College men's basketball posted a 72-60 loss to the Nittany Lions of Penn St.-Abington Saturday afternoon. With the loss, the Express fall to 3-7 overall on the year and draw only their first North Eastern Athletic Conference defeat of the year (3-1). The Nittany Lions improve to 5-4 and to 2-1 in league play.

Jean racked up a team-leading 16 total points in the loss, pulling down 13 rebounds to lead both teams in that category. Senior Al Paul (Elmont, N.Y.) was second on the squad, racking up 15 points and barely missing a double-double with nine rebounds. Off the bench, junior Jonathan Bonds (Chicago, Ill.) scored 10 points and posted seven rebounds in only 13 minutes of action.

Wells trailed by a 30-26 margin at the half despite posting 11 second chance points and outscoring their opponent off of turnovers (9-to-8). Ultimately, the hot shooting of Penn St.-Abington (12-of-31, 38.7%) created the deficit for Wells after shooting 0-for-11 from beyond the arc. Jean had 12 of his 16 points in the first half alone, shooting 5-for-10 from the floor and making both foul shots.

Trailing by five points only 2:48 into the second half, Wells mounted a furious comeback. Paul buried his second three-point basket of the season before junior Shakeel Simmons (Brentwood, N.Y.) notched back-to-back foul shots, tying the score. Freshman Chris Courtney (Auburn, N.Y.) collected the rebound from a Devin Jones missed three-pointer and carried it back up the floor, pouring home a three-pointer of his own to grant Wells a 37-34 lead.

A three-point basket by Erich Kaempffe (North Rose, N.Y.) with 10:33 remaining in the game tied the score once again. With the score 44 aside after Kaempffe's dramatic shot, both teams traded two-point baskets and tied the score three additional times. A Mike Marvin layup with 7:09 remaining in the second half gave the hosts the lead for good as the Express were outscored by a 12-to-2 margin to place the game out of reach.

Marvin, the reigning NEAC Player of the Year, posted a double-double for the Nittany Lions. Marvin, a sophomore who also claimed the league's Rookie of the Year honors as a first year player, posted 14 total points and picked up a team-leading 12 rebounds. All five players in the starting lineup recorded double-digit points, including Avery Barnes, Nisiar Smith, Max Alton and Jones.

Wells returns to action Sunday, Jan. 12 as they face-off against Gallaudet University in a noontime road contest. The Express return home on Tuesday, Jan. 14 as they host Alfred State College at 7:00 p.m. in the Frances Tarlton Farenthold Athletic Wing.