ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team continued rolling through the start of their season, defeating Allegheny 77-64 in non-conference action Saturday afternoon.
For the second time this season, all five of the Lions' (3-0) starters scored double digits, thanks to 61.5% (16-26) shooting from the floor and 84.6% (11-13) from the charity stripe, as a team in the second half.
Once again, senior Zane Hackett (Brookville, PA/Brookville) led Behrend in scoring with 17 points. He also recorded his third straight double-double to start this season, grabbing 11 rebounds.
In a defensive first half consisting of 10 blocks and six steals from both teams combined, Connor McLaughlin (Ashtabula, OH/Edgewood) swatted three of the Gators' (0-6) shot attempts to record half of Behrend's first half block total (6).
On the other end of the court, freshman Justin Gorny (South Park, PA/South Park) shot 4-for-5 from the floor, including draining both of his three-point attempts to lead the Lions with 10 first half points and give them a 29-20 lead going into the break.
Both teams came out firing in the second half. Allegheny went on a quick 5-0 run to start the frame until a dunk and layup from Hackett, followed by a three from Malquan Pullium (Erie, PA/Strong Vincent), stopped the Gator momentum and gave Behrend a 10-point lead. Pullium finished the game with 14 points and a game-high four steals.
Sharing the ball was a sight to see for the Lions Saturday. 17 assists on their 27 buckets helped five players score in double figures. Andy Niland (Fairview, PA/Fairview) led all players with a game-high six dimes. Freshmen Matt Colpoys (Erie, PA/Cathedral Prep) and Gorny added five and four more assists respectfully.
For the Gators, despite 23 points from Evan Zabriski and 16 points from Chris Milon, Behrend's offense was too difficult to catch and their defense was too tough to surpass, leading to a 13-point Lion victory.
Behrend is back in action on Wednesday, December 2nd when they travel to D'Youville to open up conference play. Tip-off will be a 6 p.m.