ERIE, Pa. – For the second straight season, the Penn State Behrend men's basketball team will dance in March.
The Lions defeated Hilbert 66-51 on Saturday behind Shane Skelly's (Westlake, OH/Westlake) double-double and Nick DeLisio's (Aliquippa, PA/Central Valley) 18 points to claim the 2014 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Tournament Championship.
With the win, the Lions (23-4) have punched their ticket to the 2014 Division III NCAA Tournament.
Behrend was able to control tempo in the first half, as the Lions led by as many as 11 in the opening session. But Hilbert's Jarame Owens, the AMCC's leading rebounder, scored 10 with nine boards to put the Hawks within seven going into the locker room.
When Hilbert made it a four-point game early in the second half, it looked as if things would go down to the wire.
But Casey Courneen (Sewickley, PA/Quaker Valley) hit two huge threes – one from each corner – as part of a 10-0 Behrend run that gave the Lions a 14 point advantage.
Then the hallmark of Behrend's 2013-14 team, the defense, became nearly impenetrable. The Lions kept the Hawks without a bucket from the 12:18 mark to the 5:35 point of the second half.
Behrend held Hilbert, who had been averaging over 80 points per game, to just 39.5 percent shooting and 51 total points.
The Lions also dominated the offensive glass -- Behrend grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, compared to just five for the Hawks.
Skelly finished with 11 points and 10 boards and Keith Wallace (Erie, PA/Central Tech) added 12 points for the Lions, who will enter the big dance as one of the nation's hottest teams. Behrend has now won seven in a row and 18 out of their last 20 games.
Mike Knoll (Erie, PA/Cathedral Prep) had seven points and seven rebounds and Malquan Pullium (Erie, PA/Strong Vincent) scored five including a big three-pointer that came late in the contest.
It was the third victory of the season for the Lions against Hilbert – Behrend won 55-52 in Hamburg, NY on January 20 and defeated the Hawks 87-58 on February 19 at the Junker Center.
Saturday's victory marks the fifth AMCC Tournament title for the Lions, as Behrend is now 20-12 all-time in conference postseason play. The Lions previously won the tournament championship in 1998, 2005, 2008, and 2013.
Behrend advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight in 2000 and the second round in 2008. This is the second time in program history the Lions will make back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
On Monday, March 3, Behrend will learn who, when, and where they are playing. The selection show will be broadcast live on NCAA.com at 12:30 p.m.
