Altoona, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford bowling team traveled to Altoona on Saturday as they bowled in the Unicorn Invitational, hosted by Penn State-Altoona. The Panthers picked up two victories on the day and lost three.

The invitational consisted of 5 matches with the teams facing off in 5-game, total pinfall Baker bowling. 

The Panthers got off to a good start as they defeated Penn State-Behrend 736-720. They jumped ahead early with a 181-158 win in game one but allowed the Lions to get back into the match and take the lead, losing the middle three matches, sending the match to its fifth game with the Panthers trailing by two pins. Pitt-Bradford was able to pull through in the end, winning the deciding game 159-141 to secure the match victory.

Pitt-Bradford once again took an early lead in their second match, as they took on the hosts, Penn State-Altoona, winning game one 161-110. They were once again unable to maintain their momentum through the middle of the match falling behind the Lions with game losses of 103-156, 138-171 and 121-124. They attempted a final comeback once again, winning game five 161-127, but they came up just short as the final pinfall finished 684-688 in favor of the hosts.

Match three saw the Panthers take on Saint Vincent, and they came out of the gates strong. They posted a score of 207, their second-best of the day, to take an early lead. Unfortunately, they could not maintain their rhythm and were unable to win any of the final four games, losing the match 809-824.

The fourth match of the day brought a rematch of their opener, against Penn State-Behrend. The Panthers had their slowest start of the day, as they posted an average of 107.6 pins per game over their first three games. They were able to get their scores above 150 in the final two games, but the deficit was too large after their slow start, falling 640-778.

Finally, the Panthers closed their day with a second matchup against Penn State-Altoona. The Panthers were able to win the first four games of the match, increasing their score with each successive game. They started with a 135-123 win in game one and then beat the Lions 150-102 in game two. Game three saw the Panthers win 168-127, and then the Panthers exploded for 219 in the fourth game. With a large lead, the Panthers let their feet of the gas in game 5, falling 115-155, but were able to secure a 787-603 match win.

The Panthers are now 6-19 on the season. They will return to the lanes next weekend, as they will open their conference play with the first AMCC Round Robin. The event will be hosted by Medaille and will take place in Buffalo on Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th.