ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team took down Alfred State, 74-51, in the Junker Center Wednesday night.

Score: Penn State Behrend 74, Alfred State 51

Records: Penn State Behrend (10-5, 5-3 AMCC), Alfred State (8-8, 6-3 AMCC)

Key Moments:

* Behrend began the game on a 7-2 run to force Alfred State to call an early timeout three minutes into the contest
* The Pioneers would go on a run of their own to take a 23-20 lead with 6:35 left in the first half
* However, with three minutes left in the first half the Lions would record four consecutive layups, grabbing the lead once again (30-23)
* The Lions took a 35-25 advantage into the locker room at halftime
* To start the second half, Behrend went on a 17-8 run to take a 54-33 lead
* Alfred State cut its deficit to 12 (59-47) with eight minutes on the clock, but the Lions extended their advantage to 20 (67-47), capped off by a Shawn Mason (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) three-point play
* Tommy DiRienzo (Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park) scored a game-high 27 points to go along with seven rebounds and two assists. He notched 17 of his 27 points in the second half
* Off the bench, Mason Blankenberg (Ontario, NY/Wayne) tallied a season-high 18 points and a career-high nine rebounds, draining a career-best three triples
* Matthew McDonough (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) added 11 points for the Lions, while Michael Sopko (New Castle, PA/Neshannock) was the final Behrend player to register double-figures, finishing with 10 points and five rebounds. Sopko also delivered two blocks on the defensive end
* Alfred State was led by Cody Schneider's 13 points and seven rebounds. Paris Jamison had 12 points to go along with four rebounds
* As a team, Behrend shot 50 percent from the field (30-60) and outscored the Pioneers in the paint (42-28)

Up Next:

* The Lions remain at home for a matchup against Pitt-Greensburg on Saturday, Jan. 20. The women's game begins at 2 p.m., followed by the men's game at 4 p.m.