ERIE, Pa. – Sophomore guard Matthew McDonough (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) scored a season-high 28 points to help lead the Penn State Behrend men's basketball to victory over Mount Aloysius Saturday afternoon.
Score: Penn State Behrend 88, Mount Aloysius 59
Records: Penn State Behrend (6-3, 2-2 AMCC), Mount Aloysius (2-7, 1-3 AMCC)
Key Moments:
* McDonough tallied 19 of his 28 points in the first half. He finished 9-16 from the field and 6-11 from beyond the arc, while going a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line
* The second year guard was three points shy of tying his career-high of 31 points, which he set last season against Pitt-Bradford
* Behrend controlled a 42-33 advantage going in to halftime, outscoring the Mounties 24-16 in the paint
* A McDonough three-pointer and four made free throws from Tommy DiRienzo (Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park) would put the Lions up 24 (76-52) with seven minutes remaining in the game
* Both teams would clear the benches with three minutes left as Behrend picked up its second conference win of the season
* Along with McDonough's 28 points, DiRienzo finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. DiRienzo also added a game-high five assists and two blocks
* Senior RJ Marsh (State College, PA/Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy) was one point and one rebound away of a double-double, recording nine points and pulling down nine rebounds
* Shawn Mason (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) was the third Lion to score in double-figures, registering 11 points with nine of his points coming from deep
* On the defensive end, Mason Blankenberg (Ontario, NY/Wayne) chipped in three steals to go along with eight points, while Stefan Milinkovic (Fairport, NY/Fairport) grabbed five rebounds
* The Mounties were led by Reggie Priah (13 points) and De'Von Haggans (12 points). Will Hagwood finished with a team-high eight rebounds and two steals
* As a team, Behrend shot 54.4 percent (31-57) from the field and took advantage of Mount Alosyius giveaways by scoring 18 points off 12 Mountie turnovers. The Lions also finished 93.8 percent (15-16) from the charity stripe
Up Next:
* The Lions will be off for Christmas break until Friday, December 29th when they head to Bethlehem, Pa. to compete in the Steel Club Classic, hosted by Moravian University. Behrend takes on Alvernia in the first round at 6:30 p.m. and then will compete in the consolation or championship game on Saturday, December 30
