The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team was too much for visiting Frostburg State on Saturday, January 30 as the blue and white earned a 77-58 win in front of 566 fans in the Junker Center.
In the first half the Behrend Lions came out firing on their home court, sprinting to a 22-5 advantage with 12:16 to play in the first period. The blue and white then got two layups from Adam Potter (Pittsburgh/Mt. Lebanon) and a three-pointer from Justin Kovac (Venetia/Peters Township) to forge their largest lead at 29-9 with 7:18 to play in the first half. Frostburg responded with a 12-2 run to cut the lead to ten at 31-21 with under four to play in the first half, and the teams went to the break with Behrend leading 35-24. The difference was long-range shooting, as Coach Niland's squad made 4-of-10 from long distance in the first half, while the visiting Bobcats were 0-for-2 on three-point attempts.
The Behrend Lions were able to retain solid control of the game in the second half. Frostburg State was able to get no closer than the seven point deficit it faced at 46-39 with just under 12 minutes to play. From that point on the blue and white made seven field goals and 17 free throws to pull away down the stretch earning the 19 point win. The Behrend Lions went 0-for-5 from long range in the second half but still shot 52% from the floor and took advantage at the foul line hitting 20-of-26 free throw attempts in the second half.
Chris Saltzman (Pittsburgh/Central Catholic) posted a double-double with an 18-point, 14-rebound effort to help his squad move to 13-4 overall and 10-3 in league play. Potter finished with a game high 21 points making 7-of-9 from the floor and all six of his free throws. Also in double figures for Behrend was freshman Russ Conley (Transfer/Reynolds), while Kovac did a little bit of everything with nine points, four assists, and three steals. Frostburg (11-7, 8-6) was led by Jamal Bracken who was the lone Bobcat in double figures with ten points.
The Behrend men's basketball team is back in action on Wednesday, February 3 at home in the Junker Center for an 8:00 p.m. showdown with conference opponent Medaille. The men's and women's basketball games against Medaille on Wednesday will be televised by the Image Sports Network.
