Four Lions Finish In Double-Figures To Put Away Hawks

ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team was able to hold off Hilbert by a score of 74-68 Wednesday night in the Junker Center.

Score: Penn State Behrend 74, Hilbert 68
Records: Penn State Behrend (8-7­, 3-3 AMCC), Hilbert (10-6, 3-4 AMCC)

Key Moments:

* Hilbert controlled the start of the game, taking its biggest lead of the half of eight (24-16) with 10:24 on the clock
* The Lions cut the deficit to four (24-20) on four straight points from Nate Edwards (Girard, PA/Girard)
* Back-to-back layups by Tommy DiRienzo (Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park) knotted the score at 26 apiece with 7:42 left in the half
* Behrend took its first lead of the day (28-26) with six minutes until halftime on a Matthew McDonough (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) driving layup
* Since taking their first advantage, the Lions ended the first half on a 17-8 run to go into halftime with a 45-34 lead
* DiRienzo (13 points) and Mason Blankenberg (Ontario, NY/Wayne) (12 points) led the Lions in the first 20 minutes, while Shaheem Ellis registered eight points for the Hawks
* Behrend grabbed its biggest lead of the game of 16 points (55-39) early in the second half
* Ellis cut Hilbert's deficit to single digits (55-39) with a three-pointer with 10 minutes left
* A Quran Briggs layup made it a three-point game with one minute remaining in Wednesday's contest
* Some defensive stops and made free throws for the Lions would secure their third conference win of the season
* Four Lions finished in double-figures on Wednesday, led by DiRienzo's game high 25 points on 11-for-21 shooting from the field
* McDonough (17 points), Edwards (13 points), and Blankenberg (12 points) all recorded double-digit scoring efforts. Blankenberg also tallied five rebounds, three assists, and three steals
* Off the bench, Michael Sopko (New Castle, PA/Neshannock) delivered seven points and a team-high six rebounds and two blocks
* Ellis notched a team-high 20 points, while Larry Morse scored 12 points and Ronnie Lewis pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds
* As a team, Behrend outscored Hilbert in points off turnovers (16-12) and fast breaks (9-2)

Up Next:

* The Lions finish their three-game homestand with a matchup against Carlow on Monday, Jan. 20. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Martin Luther King Jr. Day