Behrend Battles La Roche In AMCC Action Wednesday

ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team welcomes reigning Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Champions La Roche to the Junker Center on Wednesday, Dec. 11. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Coverage:

Video | Live Stats | Game Notes

Behrend News & Notes:

* The Lions began AMCC play with a 79-72 win over Pitt-Greensburg on Saturday
* Tommy DiRienzo (Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park) tallied a team-high 21 points and tied his season-high with seven rebounds
* Matthew McDonough (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) (16 points), Mason Blankenberg (Ontario, NY/Wayne) (13 points), Sam Petrarca (Peters Township, PA/Peters Township) (11 points), and Dolan Waldo (Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park) (10 points) also delivered double-digit scoring efforts
* This marked a career best in points and rebounds for Petrarca, going 5-for-7 from the field with his first collegiate three-pointer and securing a career-high six rebounds off the bench
* McDonough came down with a career-high seven rebounds, while Blankenberg (six) and Waldo (five) also contributed for the Lions on the glass
* DiRienzo is currently first on the team and third in the conference with 19.9 points per game, while McDonough (15.1 ppg) and Blankenberg (13.0 ppg) stand second and third on the Lions in scoring
* Blankenberg has pulled down a team-high 5.6 rebounds per game and Isaac DeGregorio (Allison Park, PA/North Catholic) has tallied 2.6 assists per game

Meet the Opposition:

* La Roche comes into Wednesday's contest with a 2-7 overall record and has begun conference play 0-2
* The Redhawks fell by three (60-57) at Alfred State this past Saturday
* Joe Starzynski led the way against the Pioneers with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Isaiah Thomas chipped in 13 points and seven boards
* Starzynski, a 2023-24 All-AMCC First Team selection, is first on the team with 15.1 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game. Guards Bryce Epps (13.3 ppg) and Michael Brooks (13.1) also tally double-figure scoring
* Brooks leads the Redhawks with 3.0 assists per game, while Epps has recorded a team high 1.9 steals per game
* Epps and Brooks were both selected to the 2023-24 All-Conference Third Team
* Last season, La Roche won its second consecutive AMCC title and fell to Hampden-Sydney by a score of 98-61 in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament
* This season, the Redhawks were projected to defend their title in the 2024-25 Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
* Starzynski and Brooks were named Preseason Players To Watch
* Head coach Hermie Carmichael is in his 14^th season at the helm of the men's basketball program

Series History:

* Behrend leads the all-time series 47-39, dating back to 1977-78
* However, La Roche has won the past seven matchups, including last season's meeting in the AMCC Championship (80-69)