Men’s Basketball Hosts Altoona Saturday In The Junker Center

ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team hosts Penn State Altoona on Saturday, Feb. 8. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Junker Center.

Coverage:

Video | Live Stats | Game Notes

Behrend News & Notes:

* Behrend fell, 77-72, at La Roche on Wednesday
* Senior Tommy DiRienzo (Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park) scored a game-high 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field
* DiRienzo sits six points away from passing James Curren's (2000-04) 1,726 career points for second on the program's all-time scoring list
* Matthew McDonough (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) was the other Lion to finish in double-figures with 16 points vs. the Redhawks. He is now six points away from 1,000 career points
* DiRienzo leads the team and is currently second in the AMCC in scoring with 19.2 points per game
* McDonough notches 14.9 points per game for second on the team, while Mason Blankenberg (Ontario, NY/Wayne) (9.3 ppg) sits third on the Lions
* On the glass, DiRienzo pulls down a team-high 5.5 rebounds per game
* As a team, Behrend stands second in the conference in field-goal percentage (47.2) and free-throw percentage (74.0)
* The Lions have taken care of the ball this season, ranking first in the AMCC and 12^th in Division III with only 10.1 turnovers per game

Meet the Opposition:

* Altoona is currently second in the AMCC standings with a conference record of 8-3, most recently defeating Mount Aloysius by a score of 89-83
* Five Lions finished in double-figures against the Mounties: Kal-El Gentles (21 points), Nehemiah Frye (20 points), Kaden Claar (20 points), Mason Kargo (10 points), Abiah Charles (10 points)
* Dwayne Jones, back-to-back AMCC Defensive Player of the Year and a 2024 First Team selection, leads the team and first in the conference in blocks per game (2.3), while also being tied for second in the AMCC in rebounding (8.2 rbg), fifth in scoring (17.3 ppg), and sixth in steals (1.9 ppg)
* Gentles (14.1 ppg), Klaar (11.9 ppg), and Frye (10.3 ppg) are the other Lions to tally double-figures this season
* Klaar is also second in the AMCC in three-point percentage (41.3) and free-throw percentage (86.0), while Gentles ranks third with 4.1 assists per game
* As a team, Altoona is first in the AMCC rankings in blocks per game (4.5) and second in steals per game (9.9)
* Altoona was picked sixth in the 2024-25 Preseason Coaches' Poll. Jones and Claar were named Preseason Players to Watch
* Head coach David McGreal is in his eighth season at the helm of the men's basketball program

Series History:

* Behrend leads the all-time series 51-9, dating back to 1964-65
* However, Altoona has won three of the last five matchups, including the contest this season on January 8 (78-76)