Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team got back in the win column Friday night, taking down Wells College 87-57 in KOA Arena.
The Panthers struggled out of the gate but quickly went on a 13-0 run to take control. They led by 11 at the break, and after starting the second half on a 10-0 run were able to coast to the finish to a 78-57 win.
Wells opened the scoring with a jumper on their second possession, and after a B.J. Williams jump shot, scored two quick baskets in a row to take an early 6-2 lead. The Panthers quickly shut down the Express offense, as they kept them off the board for a 3-minute span, which saw the Pitt-Bradford offense score 13 straight. Lennon Lindholm started the run with a three from the corner, and then Nathan Schneider put the Panthers ahead with another long ball. Phillip Wallace hit the Panthers' third three in as many possessions and then Caden Beldin and Schneider each made baskets inside to put the Panthers up 15-6. The visitors were able to break the streak with a 3 with 14 minutes left in the half, but the Panthers were able to counter every Express basket with one of their own to keep the lead at six points. Wallace, Williams, and Schneider all made short-range jumpers inside on consecutive possessions to push the advantage to 16 with 9 minutes left in the 1st.
The visitors were able to get the Panther advantage back into single digits after a four-minute dry spell allowed Wells to cut the lead to 29-21, but Schneider hit a pair of free throws to end the run and then assisted on another Lindholm three. The express once again scored 4 in a row, but Schneider answered, driving to the lane for a layup and then feeding Alex Rodriguez for a long three to extend the advantage to 15. Wells was able to add to layups in the last minute, including one at the buzzer to send the game to halftime with the Panthers ahead 40-29.
After the break, the Panthers once again locked down defensively, keeping Wells off the board for the first 3:26 of the half. In that span, they were able to score 11 quick points to go up 22. Wallace made a pair of free throws after being fouled on a putback attempt, and then made a backdoor pass to Lindholm who made a layup through contact and made a foul shot to complete a three-point play. Schneider then took over the run, stealing a pass in the frontcourt and racing to the basket for a fast break layup and then hitting an open three. with 14 minutes remaining in the game, the Panthers were able to put together another big scoring run, pushing their lead to 28 points. Gus Napoleon hit a three from the corner and then after three Wells free throws, Schneider made a layup and a free throw to respond. Jeremy Rodriguez made a layup to continue the rally and Caden Beldin made a long three to put Pitt-Bradford ahead 66-38.
With three minutes to go, Phillip Wallace threw down a one-handed slam dunk off a Williams feed which put the game out of reach, allowing the Panthers to give some underclassmen valuable playing time. Trayshon Tucker made a pull-up jumper near the end of the shot clock to score in his collegiate debut and Logan Joncas nailed a three from the corner to close the game.
Nathan Schneider led the way for the Panthers as he notched a double-double, finishing with game-highs in points, 24, and rebounds, 13. He also distributed the ball well, collecting 6 assists. He was extremely efficient in the game, making 8-12 from the field, 2-3 from deep and 6-8 from the line. Phillip Wallace also reached double digits for the Panthers, scoring 16 points on 6-11 shooting. Lennon Lindholm added 9 points, while B.J. Williams filled up the stat sheet with 5 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.
The victory moves the Panthers to 2-3 on the season. They will be back in action next Tuesday when they hit the road for a matchup at Alfred. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
