BRADFORD, Pa. – The Pitt-Bradford men's basketball team dropped a thriller, 69-66, in its 2014-15 home opener at the KOA Arena against the Juniata Eagles on Saturday afternoon.
Pitt-Bradford (1-2) managed to tie the game at 66 with 28 seconds remaining on a short jumper by senior Hiree Peoples. After a controversial call by the officials on senior Keith Burgess with 10 seconds left, Juniata (2-1) went to the line and converted its second free throw to open a late lead that resulted in the defeat for the Panthers.
Junior Eric Matheson led all Panthers in scoring with 19 points, four rebounds and four assists, including a perfect 11-for-11 from the line. Burgess was close behind with 17 points, two rebounds and one assist. Peoples rounded out the scoring with 12 points to go with three rebounds.
The Panthers had trouble defending Juniata's Marcus Lee all afternoon. Lee put up 26 points with three rebounds and one assist for the Eagles.
Despite putting the first points of the game on the board, the Panthers' surrendered an early run to the visiting Eagles that had Pitt-Bradford playing from behind in the opening minutes of action. The Panthers rallied just past the midway point of the first period and kept the deficit minimal until the teams headed to the locker rooms for halftime with the Eagles holding a 28-27 advantage.
In the first half, Pitt-Bradford shot 40 percent from the floor and did not connect on a shot from behind the arc. From the line, the Panthers were 7-of-9.
Lee's free throw opened the second half scoring and gave the Eagles a two point lead. Peoples added another jumper of his own moments later and the game was tied at 29.
Juniata controlled the game for the majority of second half action, jumping out to a comfortable lead before Pitt-Bradford roared back late in the half. As the clock ticked past the two minute mark, the Panthers brought the score within two. The remainder of the contest played out with the questionable foul being the ultimate deciding factor for the day's action.
"We didn't do much well today," said head coach Britt Moore. "Juniata outplayed us in every aspect. We need to get better by Tuesday."
Pitt-Bradford hits the road for its final contest prior to the Thanksgiving break on Tuesday, Nov. 25. The Panthers face Alfred State at 6 p.m. in Alfred, N.Y.
