ERIE, Pa. - The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team remains undefeated in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) play after rolling past Pitt-Bradford 74-49 on Saturday afternoon.
The number two ranked Lions' (11-2, 6-0 AMCC) defense held the Panthers (2-10, 1-5 AMCC) without a three-pointer in the second half, forcing them to shoot 28.0 percent from the field. Behrend, on the other hand, shot 52.6 percent from the floor and 90.9 percent from the free throw line in the second.
The difference in the game was the points off turnover margin. The Lions were able to capitalize on the 19 turnovers created for a total of 29 points, compared to the Panthers that were only able to tally 5 points on the 14 turnovers generated.
Andy Niland (Fairview, PA/Fairview) led all scorers with 22 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. He also added four assists, two steals, and two rebounds.
Junior guard Mike Fischer (Wexford, PA/North Allegheny) contributed in the win by knocking down 4-of-6 shots for 14 points on the day while pulling down five rebounds and five assists. Dan Wanker (Pittsburgh, PA/South Park) recorded a game-high eight boards and 12 points.
Connor McLaughlin (Ashtabula, OH/Edgewood) and Kyle Reese (Allison Park, PA/Hampton) supplied life off the bench for the Lions. McLaughlin shot a perfect 2-for-2 for three-point range and had two blocks. Reese notched six points on the day.
Behrend started building its lead early against Bradford. A 16-6 run in the opening five minutes of the game allowed the Lions to maintain a comfortable lead throughout the game.
Despite being outshot 48.3 percent to 52.0 percent, the Lions were able to secure a 14-point advantage over the Panthers going into the halftime break.
The second half was more of the same in Behrend's story. They built off their halftime lead and shut down Bradford's offense to score only 20 points. The Lions built their lead to 21 points just over midway through the period, and would eventually reach a 27 point margin with 1:23 remaining.
The Lions finished the game with a 25-point edge. Behrend never trailed in the contest, asserting their dominance right from the start.
The Lions open the New Year with a 2-0 start, and will look to continue that streak when they travel to Hilbert on Wednesday. Game time is set for 6 p.m.