ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team plays host to conference foe Penn State Altoona on Saturday, Jan. 6 as part of a basketball doubleheader in the Junker Center. The men's game is slated for a 4:00 p.m. tip and will follow the women's game, which begins at 2:00 p.m.

Coverage:

Video | Live Stats | Game Notes

Behrend News & Notes:

* Behrend dropped its last contest, 79-64, at Pitt-Bradford Wednesday night, moving to 7-5 overall and 2-3 in conference play for the season
* Tommy DiRienzo (Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park) and Matthew McDonough (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) each recorded a team-high 14 points for the Lions
* Off the bench, Shawn Mason (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) added 10 points, while Stefan Milinkovic (Fairport, NY/Fairport) chipped in nine points
* DiRienzo currently stands 19 points away (981) from reaching the 1,000-point scoring plateau. The senior guard leads the AMCC with 19.6 points per game
* RJ Marsh (State College, PA/Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy) has tallied a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game and 1.5 steals per game, while Matt Niland (Erie, PA/Fairview) dishes out 2.4 assists per game
* As a team, Behrend ranks first in the conference in three-point percentage (34.6) and free throw percentage (74.1)

Meet the Opposition:

* Altoona sits third in the AMCC standings with an overall record of 5-7 and a conference record of 4-1, winning against Alfred St. (93-85) on Wednesday
* Junior forward Dwayne Jones leads the team with 15.6 points per game and is second in the conference with 9.1 rebounds per game
* Jahmar White (13.6 ppg) and Mason Bush (10.9 points per game) also tally double-figures for Altoona, while White delivers a team-high 3.1 assists per game
* Jones, the reigning AMCC Defensive Player of the Year, and Bush were named Preseason Players To Watch
* Altoona was selected to finish first in the 2023-24 Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll after falling to La Roche in the AMCC Championship last season
* Head coach David McGreal is in his seventh season at the helm of the men's basketball program

Series History:

* Behrend leads the all-time series 49-8, dating back to the 1964-65 season; however, Altoona won the two matchups during the regular season last year