ERIE, Pa - The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team picked up their first home win of the season Wednesday evening, defeating Carnegie Mellon 76-65.
The Lions (5-2) faced a 14-point deficit heading into the second half, but strong shooting from the floor helped propel them to their fourth victory in a row. The Tartans (4-4) shot just 33.3 percent in the second half compared to Behrend's 56.0 percent which included going 8-for-15 from beyond the arc.
Malquan Pullium (Erie, PA/Strong Vincent) recorded a career high 24 points in the Lions effort. The senior guard went 9-for-15 from the field and added seven rebounds. Andy Niland (Fairview, PA/Fairview) recorded his first double-double of the season while scoring 16 points and adding 10 assists.
Justin Gorny (South Park, PA/South Park) and Dan Wanker (Pittsburgh, PA/South Park) each added 11 points while Connor McLaughlin (Ashtabula, OH/Edgewood) added 12 off the bench.
Behrend came out hot in the second half, going on a 16-5 run in the first five minutes to bring the game within four. For the next five minutes, the Lions and Carnegie Mellon traded baskets until the 9:42 mark when McLaughlin recorded an offensive board and put back a layup to tie the game, 53-all.
Both teams traded leads two more times until Wanker's triple at the 5:14 point put the Lions up 58-57 and gave his team the lead for good. He then added another three a few minutes later to put the Lions up by five with just over three minutes left to play.
The Tartans found themselves in early foul trouble in the second half which proved to hurt them down the stretch. Behrend went 15-for-22 from the free-throw line in the second half including a 10-for-10 performance from the charity stripe in the final three minutes of the game.
The Lions have faced a double-digit halftime deficit every game at home this season. The Tartans were firing on all cylinders to begin the game. They went 5-for-8 from the three-point line and shot 51.6 percent from the floor to help them expand their large lead. Ryan Maha helped by making two triples and added 10 first-half points. Carnegie Mellon also looked to their bench for help as they contributed 16 of their 39 points in the first half.
Behrend will be back in action against Mt. Aloysius at home this Saturday. Game time is set for 3 p.m.
