WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team fell to Lycoming, 65-58 on Thursday afternoon in non-conference action.
After having 18 days between games, the Lions (2-7, 2-2 AMCC) were unable to overcome a strong start by the Warriors who remained perfect on the year.
Lycoming (10-0) came out fast, starting the game on a 20-6 run through the first 10 minutes of the opening half. Behrend had an answer though, going on a 17-5 run, capped off by a Chris Dudzenski (Latrobe, PA/Greater Latrobe) layup to close the gap to two. Over the final 2:30 of the half, the Warriors would outscore Behrend by six to take a 34-26 halftime lead.
With the second half underway, Lycoming pushed their lead to as many as 19 just four minutes into the second 20 minutes. At the halfway point, Casey Courneen (Sewickley, PA/Quaker Valley) made a layup to cut the deficit to 10.
After the Warriors and Lions traded baskets, Evan Eaton (Mt. Lebanon, PA/Mt. Lebanon) cashed in two free throws with Shane Skelly (Westlake, OH/Westlake) contributing a layup and suddenly Behrend was back in it. Nick DeLisio (Aliquippa, PA/Central Valley) made two from the charity stripe to go along with a layup to put the Lions within four.
However, over the final three minutes, Behrend couldn't get any closer as Jerald Williams made four clutch free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
Despite holding a 44-31 rebounding advantage, the Lions committed a season-high 26 turnovers.
Russ Conley (Transfer, PA/Reynolds) led three Behrend players in double figures with 11 points and nine rebounds. Eaton and Chris Rader (Wexford, PA/Pine-Richland) each tallied 10 points. Nick Thorsen (Bethel Park, PA/Bethel Park) chipped in a career-high six assists.
The Lions will be back in action tomorrow. Rutgers-Newark will host Behrend at 2 p.m.
