From Case Western Reserve University Athletics

Senior guard Julien Person (Paris, France/Second Baptist, Texas) and senior forward Dane McLoughlin (Westerville, Ohio/St. Charles Preparatory) scored 18 points apiece to lead the Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team to a 107-93 victory versus Penn State Beaver in the opening game of the CMU DoubleTree Invitational at Skibo Gymnasium.

The Spartans are off to a 4-1 start for the second season in a row, while the Lions remain winless at 0-5. The 107 points scored were the most for the program since a 135-120 win against Westminster College (Pa.) on November 27, 2005.

Person added five assists and four rebounds while shooting 9-of-10 from the free throw line. McLouglin, who grabbed six rebounds, shot 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Three other Spartans scored in double-figures, including junior guard Matt Clark (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis University) with a career-high 14 points.

Chris Best led Penn State Beaver with a game-high 26 points, while Marcus Smith added 23 points, five rebounds and three assists.  

The Spartans got out of the gate quick with a 9-3 run and eventually built their advantage to 10, at 23-13, after a layup from senior forward Brian Klements (Willoughby Hills, Ohio/Willoughby South) with 11:14 on the clock. The Lions then stormed back with an 11-3 run to pull within 26-24 as Best converted a three-point play with 9:01 remaining in the first half. Later with the score at 42-36, CWRU closed the period with a 10-0 run and led 52-36 after a three-pointer at the buzzer by freshman forward David Black (Avon Lake, Ohio/Saint Ignatius).

In the second, CWRU's advantage never dipped below eight but did reach a high of 20, at 82-62, when junior point guard Jimmy Holman (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) connected for a three-pointer with 7:25 left to play. Freshman forward T.J. Duckett (Hyattsville, Md./St. Anselm's Abbey School) put his team above the 100-point mark via two free throws with 2:20 remaining.