Brooklyn, NY – After trailing by as many as 13 points in the first half of Saturday's non-conference game at Brooklyn College, Keystone College rallied to take a late lead, but the Bulldogs would ultimately prevail with an 82-78 victory following a frantic final three minutes.  Brooklyn lifts their record to 14-3 on the season with the win while the Giants, who got a season-high 20 points from Dan Candemeres (Holbrook, NY/Sachem East) in the loss, slip to 3-10 on the year.
 
Keystone built a 20-16 lead over the opening 6:30 of Saturday afternoon's contest before Brooklyn countered with a 10-1 run to claim a 26-21 edge with 10:52 remaining in the opening half.  The Bulldogs stretched their lead to as many as 13 points before taking a 44-35 advantage into the halftime break.
 
Jai Kellman led all scorers with 11 points while Lorenzo Williams chipped in nine points for Brooklyn in the opening 20 minutes of play.  Egzon Gjonbalaj added eight points and 12 rebounds for the Bulldogs, who shot 44.7 percent from the floor in the first half while going 4-15 from three-point range and 60 percent from the free throw line in the first stanza.
 
Duncan Lunsford (Marietta, GA/Sprayberry) paced Keystone's offense with 10 first half points while Miles Dargan (Orlando, FL/Wekiva) tallied eight points in the period.  DaVaughn Roberts-Thomas (Port Arthur, TX/Silsbee) chipped in with seven points and a team-leading six boards for the Giants, who connected on 34.2 percent of their field goal attempts including a 27.3 percent clip from beyond the arc while going 3-4 from the stripe.
 
Keystone whittled their deficit down to a single point just over five minutes into the second half when Candemeres knocked one down from downtown, but Brooklyn was able to stay in front and push their lead to as many as eight points.  The Giants used another push and tied the score at 69-69 with 5:08 left in regulation when Rashaud Kelley (Sharon, PA/Paul Laurence Dunbar) drained a three-pointer.
 
Roberts-Thomas gave the Giants their first lead since early in the first quarter, 71-70, with 3:07 left on the clock by converting a pair of free throws.  After Brooklyn went back in front, Tyreek Peeples (Philadelphia, PA/Girard College) and Dargan scored back-to-back layups to give Keystone a 75-72 edge with 37 seconds remaining.  Jamel Gist made it a one-point game on a lay-in on the Bulldogs' next possession and, following a turnover by the Giants, Kellman hit a three-pointer with 18 seconds remaining to put the hosts back in front.  Brooklyn went 5-6 from the free throw line in the final 16 seconds to seal the victory.
 
Gjonbalaj finished with game-highs of 25 points and 13 rebounds while Gist added a double-double of his own on 14 points and 11 boards to lead Brooklyn.  Kellman added 17 points while Williams totaled 14 points for the Bulldogs, who shot 42.1 percent from the field in the contest while going 17.2 percent from three-point land and 54.2 percent from the line.
 
A trio of Keystone players joined Candemeres in double-figures as Lunsford ended the day with 19 points, while Dargan and Roberts-Thomas both tallied 12 points apiece.  Roberts-Thomas finished a rebound shy of a double-double with nine caroms on the night while tying for a game-high with five steals.  Peeples dished out a season and game-high 11 assists for Keystone and is averaging 9.3 assists per game of the Giants' last three contests.
 
For the game, Keystone connected on 39.2 percent of their field goal attempts while shooting 31.8 percent from downtown and 60 percent from the free throw line. 
 
Keystone will travel to Radnor, Pennsylvania on Monday night to take on defending conference champion Cabrini College in a CSAC contest.  Opening tipoff between the Giants and Cavaliers is set for 8:00 p.m.