The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team (4-9, 3-3) needed two wins this weekend. The Panthers got them both, finishing the weekend with an 86-79 victory over Mount Aloysius (5-9, 2-5) on Sunday afternoon at the KOA Arena.
"It's always difficult to play two league games on back-to-back days, and it's especially difficult to come out with two victories," said Pitt-Bradford head coach Britt Moore. "We were sluggish to start and I thought Mount Aloysius played a great game."
Eric Matheson notched a double-double, pouring in 19 points and adding 11 assists to lead the Pitt-Bradford offense. Manny Welch followed with 19 points while Evan Greening added another double-double with 14 points and 13 boards. Colton Holzwarth capped a strong weekend with 12 points and two steals while Steven Owens and Sahlil Harris added nine and eight points, respectively. Forrest Works finished with six boards and played a stellar game defensively.
"I though Forrest Works had an unbelievable weekend," Moore said. "Everyone looks at points, but he defended one of the best bigs in the league on Saturday, and then a point guard on Sunday – not many guys can do that."
Arin Wade led the Mounties with a double-double, posting 28 points and 12 rebounds while Chad Eisenhuth chipped in with 18 points and Shaire Tolson-Ford added 11 in the loss.
The Mounties dominated the game's opening minutes and eventually went into the locker room at the half with a 10-point lead at 41-31.
However, the Panthers caught fire in the second half. Welch drilled a three-point bucket right over a Mount Aloysius defender to cut the deficit to 45-44 with 16:20 left. Greening then added two free throws on the very next possession to give Pitt-Bradford a 46-45 lead with 15 minutes left.
The Mounties and Panthers traded blows over the next 10 minutes before Pitt-Bradford caught fire with just over four minutes left in the game.
Matheson started the run with a layup while Holzwarth followed with a layup of his own on the next possession. Welch then buried a three from way beyond the arc, giving the Panthers a 79-74 lead and causing Mount Aloysius to call a timeout with 3:25 left.
Holzwarth, Welch, and Matheson knocked down their free throws when they counted most, allowing the Panthers to cap the 86-79 victory over the Mounties.
The Panthers continue AMCC play Wednesday evening at six against D'Youville at the KOA Arena.
