Penn State Mont Alto Knocks Off Penn State DuBois for First Title Since 2020

BY JACK HARRISON

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Mont Alto beat Penn State DuBois to capture the 2025 PSUAC Men’s Basketball Championship by a score of 75-67. Mont Alto picked up its first championship since the 2019-20 season and its fifth championship in school history.

DuBois’ Beau Verdill led both teams in scoring with 16, while Mont Alto’s Veron Talla scored a team-high 14. Mont Alto shared the rock impressively, with four players finishing with 10 points or more and two others finishing with nine. DuBois also had four players finish the game with 10 points or more.

Points in the paint was the most significant difference, with Mont Alto beating DuBois 40-24 in that category. However, that wasn’t how the game started.

The game was scoreless until a logo-three with 15:49 left in the first quarter by DuBois’ Cole Love. From the start, intensity was the name of the game.

Mont Alto’s Richard Burke cut the DuBois lead to three with a tough bucket before All-East Division First Team sophomore forward Talla cut it to one with a foul. Junior guard Taralle Hayden reversed the one-point lead with another 3-point play for Mont Alto. Mont Alto went on a 7-0 run to grow its lead to four.

Both teams made up for the lack of scoring to start the game with multiple threes. The game was all knotted up at 21, but Mont Alto went on another 7-0 run. DuBois’ threes kept slicing Mont Alto’s momentum in half.

However, Mont Alto kept putting pressure on DuBois, increasing its lead to nine with 55 seconds left in the first half. Mont Alto eventually ended the first half up 38-27.

At the half, Mont Alto’s Hayden and East Division First Team senior forward, Caleb Eckert, led both teams in scoring with seven points each. In comparison, DuBois’ leading scorers were Love and West Division Defensive Player of the Year Verdill, with six points each.

In the first half, Love was 2 of 5 from three, while Verdill shot 2 of 4 from three. Both teams weren’t doing well from the field, with Mont Alto shooting 40.6% and DuBois shooting 26.1%. However, Mont Alto excelled down low as it had a 16-point advantage in points in the paint after the first.

DuBois went on a 5-0 run to start the second half, but that didn’t last long as Mont Alto stretched the lead to 13 with 15:23 left in the half. DuBois continued to eat into Mont Alto’s lead throughout the second half.

Verdill made a two-pointer with a lot of contact, and then Mont Alto’s Venson Tevin committed an offensive foul with 12:20 left. After another turnover by Tevin, DuBois could sense the energy shifting. The team’s tenacity and ability to take over the paint fired up head coach Daniel Smay.

DuBois’ offensive rebounding was a catalyst as they cut the Mont Alto lead to five with 9:10 left in the half. As the game's emotion increased, both fanbases made their voices heard with deafening screams. Mont Alto’s chants of “defense” helped as the team drew a couple of offensive fouls.

DuBois’ Kaleb Pryor made a long three, and Kyron Harbin blocked one that went into the stands. The game was going back and forth.

Taralle Hayden converted a 3-point play to put Mont Alto up by seven. While the stands were not full, it sure felt like it. The BJC was rocking. With 2:30 left, Pryor made a long three to cut the lead to seven. The momentum kept switching between teams.

With DuBois making bucket after bucket, Mont Alto had to match. They did so. Valla’s two-hand slam and a foul by sophomore point guard Pryor had Mont Alto tasting glory.

With under 30 seconds left, DuBois had to start playing the foul game. With that, Mont Alto knew it had secured the title. They beat DuBois 75-67 to win the PSUAC Men’s Basketball Championship.

The intensity was off the charts. Both teams played with a ton of heart, and the passion of both fanbases was immeasurable. DuBois will make the one-hour drive southeast to campus as the runner-up, while Mont Alto will make the two-hour drive south as the champions.

Jack Harrison is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jkh6603@psu.edu.