The Penn State Shenango Men's Basketball team saw a familiar face lead the charge on November 15, as Izzy Santiago poured in a career-high scoring effort in a 101–71 road loss to Westminster. While the final score tilted heavily toward the Titans, Santiago's breakout performance was a bright spot in a game that featured stretches of high-level offense from the Lions.

Shenango came out on fire behind Santiago. After a couple of early offensive rebounds from Rhys Grocott and Devin Alston, Santiago opened the scoring with a three from the wing, then immediately followed it with a layup in transition off a steal and assist from Kevon Washington to make it 5–0 Lions. Moments later, Santiago attacked again, converting a layup through contact and knocking down the free throw to complete the three-point play and push the lead to 8–4.

Westminster responded with a series of threes and downhill drives, but the Lions kept answering. Jordan Dotson drilled a three, Aidan Slocum sliced in for a layup and added free throws, and Washington and Darius Williams scored at the rim to keep the game tight. Santiago stayed in attack mode, hitting pull-up jumpers and getting to the basket as Shenango battled back from multiple small runs by the Titans.

Midway through the first half, the Lions' offense was humming. Williams knocked down back-to-back jumpers, Washington scored in transition after a steal, and Alston buried a three off a feed from Grocott to bring Shenango within a bucket at 36–34. Santiago continued to be the engine, cashing in another midrange jumper to make it 36–38 and later splashing a three from the wing to cut the deficit to 41–43 in the closing minute of the half. Westminster, however, beat the buzzer with a deep three to take a 48–41 advantage into the locker room.

In the second half, Santiago picked up right where he left off. He scored out of the break with a jumper, then later knocked down multiple free throws as he continued to pressure the Westminster defense. Even as the Titans heated up from beyond the arc and stretched the lead into double digits, Santiago kept finding ways to score—whether it was pull-up jumpers, strong drives, or trips to the line.

Down the stretch, the Lions continued to compete. Williams added layups and free throws, Dotson battled inside for offensive boards and points at the stripe, and players like Langston Boyd, Dominic Jefferson, and Isaiah Martindale logged important minutes as Shenango fought to the final horn. Jefferson closed the Lions' scoring with a free throw in the closing seconds to reach 71.

Up Next: Rivalry Night at Penn State Beaver

The Lions now shift their focus to a big road showdown tonight at 8:00 PM as they travel to face Penn State Beaver. With Izzy Santiago coming off a career-high performance and the team showing flashes of explosive offense, Shenango will look to carry that momentum into a tough rivalry matchup.

Tip-Off: 8:00 PM EST
Opponent: @ Penn State Beaver 

The Lions aim to bounce back and make a statement in their first PSUAC conference test of the season.