Posted: Nov 30, 2016
BUFFALO, NY – The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team opened conference play Wednesday evening with a convincing 76-52 win over D'Youville.The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team opened conference play Wednesday evening with a convincing 76-52 win over D'Youville.
Behrend (3-2, 1-0 AMCC) outshot the Spartans (1-5, 0-1 AMCC) in both halves, going 25-62 from the floor and shooting 10-for-27 from beyond the arc.
The Lions held a double-digit lead for over 23 minutes of the game, including the entire second half. D'Youville shot just 29.5 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from the free-throw line.
Andy Niland (Fairview, PA/Fairview) led all scorers and had a team-high 19 points. He shot 5-for-8 from beyond the arc. Malquan Pullium (Erie, PA/Strong Vincent) went 7-for-16 from the floor and added 18 points in the victory.
Connor McLaughlin (Ashtabula, OH/Edgewood) provided a spark off the bench, shooting 60 percent from the field and dished out three assists.
As a team, Behrend dominated the glass. They pulled down 49 rebounds, including 13 offensive boards that led to 16 second-chance points.
During the first 20 minutes of action, the Lions drained eight three-pointers to help them take a 39-26 lead into halftime. Behrend never trailed in the half, steadily building their lead while shooting 44.8 percent from the floor compared to D'Youville's 35.7 percent.
The Lions would waste no time extending their lead in the second half. McLaughlin put pack a layup after pulling down an offensive board followed by a Niland triple to pull out to an 18-point lead with a little over 13 minutes to play.
Throughout the remainder of the game Behrend was sent to the line five times and went 8-for10 to help solidify their lead.
Justin Gorny (South Park, PA/South Park) recorded the first double-double of the season for the Lions after pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds and adding 10 points. Dan Wanker (Pittsburgh, PA/South Park) made his presence known on the glass as well, grabbing 10 rebounds.
Behrend will be back in action on Saturday, December 3 when they travel to Franciscan. Game time is set for 4 p.m.
