BUFFALO, NY – Forward Zane Hackett (Brookville, PA/Brookville) continues a hot start to his senior year, leading the Penn State Behrend men's basketball team to a 71-60 win over D'Youville in their conference opener Wednesday evening.
Hackett dropped a season-high 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to record his fourth double-double to open the season. He went 4-for-5 from the line and 9-for-15 from the floor to add to his team-leading 52.0 shooting percentage and 16.8 points per game.
Freshman Matt Colpoys (Erie, PA/Cathedral Prep) added season-highs with 12 points, eight boards and five assists to help the Lions (4-0, 1-0) to their 11-point victory.
For the first time this season, Behrend did not score the game's first points. The Spartans (2-5, 0-1) were able to score the first bucket and take three separate leads in the first five minutes.
After an eight-all tie, sophomore Connor McLaughlin (Ashtabula, OH, Edgewood) drained a three to ignite a 9-0 run by the Lions, giving them their second and final lead of the game. McLaughlin gave Behrend 18 minutes off the bench to record nine points on 3-of-5 shooting, including 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
Two threes from Andy Niland (Fairview, PA/Fairview), one from Justin Gorny (South Park, PA/South Park) and another from Colpoys led the Lions to a 10-point lead at the half.
The second half was a much tighter battle than the first. Behrend only outscored D'Youville by one in the period. Both teams traded buckets, going on small four to five points runs for the entire half.
Down the stretch, Hackett and Colpoys' clutch free throw shooting sealed the game for the Lions. They each made three from the charity stripe and added a bucket. Hackett grabbed 10 rebounds in the half to control the glass.
The Spartans had four different players score in double figures, but it was not enough to catch the Behrend offense who averages 72.3 points per game so far this season.
The Lions return home on Saturday to face off against La Roche at 2 p.m.