Behrend Completes Homestand vs. Carlow on MLK Day

ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team completes its three-game homestand with a battle vs. Carlow on Monday, Jan. 20. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Coverage:

Video | Live Stats | Game Notes

Behrend News & Notes:

* The Lions earned a 74-68 victory over Hilbert this past Wednesday
* Four Lions finished in double-figures against the Hawks, led by Tommy DiRienzo's (Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park) game-high 25 points on 11-for-21 shooting from the field
* Matthew McDonough (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) (17 points), Nate Edwards (Girard, PA/Girard) (13 points), and Mason Blankenberg (Ontario, NY/Wayne) (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
* DiRienzo leads the team and is currently third in the AMCC in scoring with 19.3 points per game
* McDonough notches 15.7 points per game for second on the team and 10^th in the conference, while Blankenberg (9.9 ppg) sits third on the Lions
* On the glass, DiRienzo and Blankenberg are tied for the team lead in rebounds per game with 5.3
* McDonough dishes out a team-leading 2.2 assists per game
* As a team, Behrend stands second in the conference in free-throw percentage (74.6) and three-point percentage (34.2)

Meet the Opposition:

* Carlow holds a 3-11 overall record and conference record of 2-4, defeating Alfred State by a score of 83-76 this past Saturday
* Guard Riley Comforti registered a double-double, finishing with a team-high 21 points on 10-for-12 shooting from the field and 10 rebounds against the Pioneers
* Adnan Sbai (20 points), Byron Gaskins (18 points), and Devin Lewis (11 points) also recorded double-figures on Saturday
* Four players notch double-digit scoring this season for Carlow: Gaskins (12.4 ppg), Comforti (11.6 ppg), Nehemiah Brazil (11.4 ppg), Sbai (10.0 ppg)
* Comforti ranks first in the AMCC in field-goal percentage (61.5), while also leading the team in rebounds per game (6.2) and steals per game (2.1)
* Gaskins is fifth in the conference in three-point percentage (39.5) and free-throw percentage (82.4)
* As a team, Carlow is third in the AMCC in free-throw percentage (73.8) and steals per game (8.2)
* The Celtics were picked ninth in the 2024-25 Preseason Coaches' Poll. Gaskins and Comforti were named Preseason Players to Watch
* Head coach Jacob St. George is in his first season as the leader of the men's basketball program

Series History:

* This is the third matchup in program history between these two teams
* Behrend was victorious in both contests last season