WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Manchester men's basketball team erased an 18-point deficit in the second half to defeat Penn State Behrend 77-73 in the first round of the Smokey Ballenger Classic held at Otterbein on Thursday afternoon.

Score: Manchester 77, Penn State Behrend 73
Records: Penn State Behrend (4-6), Manchester (6-4)

Key Moments:

* The Spartans went on a 32-10 run in the last 11:20 of the second half for the comeback victory
* Down 63-45, Manchester doubled down on defense and rallied offensively to advance to the championship game of the classic
* In a back-and-forth game, the Lions grabbed a double-digit lead in the first half
* RJ Marsh (State College, PA/Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy) hit a triple with 7:27 remaining in the first half to give Behrend a 33-20 lead
* The Lions led by nine at halftime and regained a commanding lead in the first part of the second half
* Marsh finished with his second double-double of the season, scoring 12 points and grabbing 12 rebounds
* Marsh also added three steals, two assists and one block
* Stefan Milinkovic (Fairport, NY/Fairport) led with 17 points and pulled down seven rebounds
* Matt Niland (Erie, PA/Fairview) tallied 11 points and Seth Myers (Erie, PA/General McLane) had a season-high nine points
* Tommy DiRienzo (Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park) recorded nine points and a season-best three blocks
* As a team, Behrend registered 36 points from the bench 

Up Next:

* The Lions return to action tomorrow against Otterbein or Alma in the consolation game at 12 p.m.