ERIE, Pa - The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team picked up their third Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) victory Saturday afternoon, defeating Mount Aloysius, 76-63.
The Lions (6-2, 3-0 AMCC) took a one-point lead into halftime, but outscored the Mounties (1-7, 1-2 AMCC) 39-27 in the second half to pick up the 13-point victory. Mount Aloysius had the slight advantage in shooting from the field (45.9%), but Behrend's nine three-pointers compared to the mounties three proved to be the difference maker.
Dan Wanker (Pittsburgh, PA/South Park) recorded a double-double after leading the Lions in scoring with 15 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. The sophomore forward went 6-for-9 from the floor and drained three three-pointers. Malquan Pullium (Erie, PA/Strong Vincent) added nine rebounds and scored 12 points over 33 minutes of action.
Matt Colpoys (Erie, PA/Cathedral Prep) shot 40 percent (4-for-10) and added 10 points while Mike Fischer (Wexford, PA/North Allegheny) added 12 points after going a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. The sophomore guard saw 21 minutes off the bench and is now shooting 66.7 percent since returning from an injury.
Despite closing the gap before the half, the Mounties only led for 27 seconds after scoring the first basket of the game. Behrend quickly answered by going on a 14-0 run where Wanker recorded seven of his 15 points. The Lions held a double-digit lead for over seven minutes before Mount Aloysius mounted their late first-half comback.
Darryl Sanders drained a jumper with just four seconds left to help him team head into halftime down just one point, 37-36. He scored 10 first-half points and Jourdan Lamberth added 11 off the bench to help spark the Mounties.
Behrend, however, came out hot in the second half. They took a quick 43-36 lead on an Andy Niland (Fairview, PA/Fairview) three pointer at the 18:44 mark. Sanders made a jumper at the 15:09 mark to put the game within two, but that would be the closest Mount Aloysius would come.
The Lions shot 46.4 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes of action and went 9-for-11 from the free-throw line to help seal the deal.
Behrend will be back in action on Wednesday, December 21 at 8 p.m. when they travel to Pitt-Greensburg.
