CLEVELAND, Oh. – Four Penn State Behrend starters scored in double figures and the Lions shot a blazing 53.6 percent from the field in a 73-48 victory over Heidelberg in the championship game of the Bill Sudeck Holiday Tournament on Monday afternoon.

Behrend (7-2, 2-1 AMCC) got off to a quick start fueled by back-to-back Casey Courneen (Sewickley, PA/Quaker Valley) threes less than three minutes in. That would be the beginning of a big afternoon for the senior, who finished a perfect 6-of-6 from the field including 3-for-3 from deep on his way to 15 points.

As was the case in yesterday's victory over Bethany, when the opposition got close near the midway point of the first half, the Lions took control. Behrend closed out the period on a 12-5 run to take a 35-23 lead into the break. That spurt was aided by two Keith Wallace (Erie, PA/Central Tech) layups. Wallace finished with a game-high 16 points and seven assists.

The Lions were able to methodically extend their lead in the early portion of the second half by exploiting a huge advantage underneath. Behrend outscored the Student Princes (4-6) 44-24 in the painted area. And when Wes Davic (Grafton, OH/Midview) made a layup with 12:59 remaining, the Lions found themselves up by 18. Davic finished with seven points and a career high 10 boards.

Shane Skelly (Westlake, OH/Westlake) scored 10 points for Behrend, with Mike Knoll (Erie, PA/Cathedral Prep) adding nine points and six rebounds. Nick Delisio (Aliquippa, PA/Central Valley) chipped in 11 points, six assists, and five boards for the Lions who were able to cruise through much of the second half en route to the 25 point victory.

To say that Behrend was efficient on Monday would be selling them short. The Lions out-rebounded Heidelberg 38-26 and committed just seven turnovers. They held the Student Princes to just 4-for-21 shooting from three, helping lead to 12 fast break points.

The Lions will return to action Saturday, January 4 at Carnegie Mellon at 4 p.m.