ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team takes on La Roche in a battle of the top two teams in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Game of the Week on Wednesday, Jan. 31 in the Junker Center.
Coverage:
Video | Live Stats | Game Notes
Behrend News & Notes:
* Behrend extended its winning streak to six games with an 86-75 victory at Mount Aloysius on Saturday
* Tommy DiRienzo (Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park) recorded his second 30-point game of the season, finishing with a game-high 30 points and six rebounds
* Matthew McDonough (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) notched 18 points on 7-10 shooting, while Matt Niland (Erie, PA/Fairview) scored a season-high 14 points and Mason Blankenberg (Ontario, NY/Wayne) also added 14 points off the bench
* Niland dished out five assists, while Blankenberg pulled down three rebounds
* On the glass, RJ Marsh (State College, PA/Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy) grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and Michael Sopko (New Castle, PA/Neshannock) collected five rebounds
* As a team, Behrend delivered 16 points off 13 Mount Aloysius turnovers and outrebounded the Mounties (28-24)
* DiRienzo leads the AMCC with 20.1 points per game, while Marsh pulls down a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game to rank ninth in the conference
* The Lions are first in the conference in field-goal percentage (46.9), three-point percentage (34.5), and free-throw percentage (75.1)
Meet the Opposition:
* La Roche has won eight straight games, defeating Pitt-Bradford at home on Saturday (85-73)
* Juniors Michael Brooks (12.9 ppg) and Joe Starzynski (12.8) lead the Redhawks in scoring, while Bryce Epps chips in 12.2 points per game
* Forward Isaiah Thomas grabs a team-high 6.1 rebounds per game and Brooks dishes out 3.1 assists per game
* The Redhawks rank third in the AMCC in three-point percentage (32.6), free-throw percentage (72.3), and assists per game (13.9)
* The reigning AMCC Champions were selected to finish second in the 2023-24 AMCC Preseason Coaches' Poll after recording a 13-1 conference record last season
* Brooks and Starzynski were named as AMCC Preseason Players To Watch
* Head coach Hermie Carmichael is in his 12th season at the helm of the men's basketball program
Series History:
* Behrend leads the all-time series 47-37, dating back to the 1977-78 season
* The Redhawks have won the last five matchups against the Lions, including the matchup earlier this season on December 6th (56-45)
February 28, 2024
Behrend Heads To Juniata To Face Saint Vincent in ECAC Quarterfinals
February 24, 2024
Top Seeded La Roche Gets Past Behrend in AMCC Finals, 80-69
February 14, 2024
Lions Outlast Alfred State in AMCC Game of the Week
February 10, 2024
Behrend Pulls Off Overtime Win at Altoona
February 7, 2024
Lions Take Regular Season Series from Hawks
February 6, 2024
Men’s Basketball Hosts Hilbert in Final Regular-Season Home Contest
February 5, 2024
Balanced Scoring Leads Behrend Past Wells
February 4, 2024
Lions, Express Meet for Second Time In Program History
February 3, 2024
Lions Prove Too Much for Panthers Saturday
February 2, 2024
Men’s Basketball Set To Honor Seniors vs. Pitt-Bradford
January 31, 2024
Lions Drop Overtime Thriller To La Roche, 71-69
January 24, 2024
Men’s Basketball Claims Fifth Straight Win At Carlow, 84-49
January 22, 2024
Festa, DiRienzo Named AMCC Athletes of the Week
January 20, 2024
Hot Shooting First Half Propels Lions Past Bobcats
January 19, 2024
Men’s Basketball Squares Off With Pitt-Greensburg Saturday
January 17, 2024
Four Lions Score In Double-Figures To Lead Behrend Past Pioneers
January 16, 2024
Lions Take on Alfred State In Midweek Matchup
January 12, 2024
Basketball Doubleheader vs. Wells Postponed
January 10, 2024
Strong Start Fuels Behrend Past Hilbert
January 5, 2024
Behrend Men’s Basketball Hosts Altoona Saturday
January 3, 2024
Panthers Pull Away From Lions In Second Half
December 8, 2023
Lions Set for Matchup With Mounties
December 6, 2023
La Roche Gets Past Behrend Men’s Basketball
December 2, 2023
Late Comeback Attempt Falls Short for Behrend At Pitt-Greensburg
November 29, 2023
Behrend Scores First Program Win Over Carlow Wednesday
November 28, 2023
Men’s Basketball Hosts Carlow for First Matchup in Program History
November 27, 2023
Behrend Basketball Takes AMCC Weekly Awards
November 25, 2023
Lions Fall for First Time This Season At Allegheny, 73-67
November 21, 2023
DiRienzo’s 32 Points Propels Behrend Past Baldwin Wallace In Overtime
November 18, 2023
Men’s Basketball Handles Carnegie Mellon, 87-77
November 17, 2023
Behrend Completes Three-Game Homestand vs. Carnegie Mellon
November 14, 2023
Behrend Sneaks By Blue Devils, 66-62
November 13, 2023
Men’s Basketball Welcomes Fredonia To The Junker Center
November 8, 2023
Lions Secure Opening Night Win Over Tomcats
November 7, 2023
Behrend Men’s Basketball Opens Season At Home vs. Thiel
November 2, 2023
Men’s Basketball Picked Third In AMCC Preseason Poll