Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team began its AMCC schedule on Wednesday evening, falling 84-72 to the LaRoche Redhawks.

The Panthers battled early, exchanging the lead with their opponents 7 times in the first half. Phillip Wallace opened the scoring for the Panthers, hitting a three off a pass from Caden Beldin, and on the following possession, Beldin was able to steal the ball and pass to Wallace on the break for a slam dunk. After a second consecutive stop, Wallace was able to get inside and make a close-range jumper to put the Panthers up 7-3. LaRoche was able to score 5 straight to tie the game, but B.J. Williams and Lennon Lindholm each hit threes to keep the Panthers ahead. Laroche was able to go on another 8-2 run to go ahead by three, But the Panthers quickly responded to retake the lead through a pair of Nathan Schneider free throws and a layup from Wallace. The Panthers' lead grew to four on layups from Schneider and Gavyn Mason but were held to three free throws and a Schneider layup over the last 5:53 of the half, allowing the Redhawks to take a 36-30 lead into the break.

The visitor's rally continued into the second half, as LaRoche scored the first 14 points of the half to open a 20-point advantage. Trailing 53-32 with 15:23 to go on the clock, the Panthers started their comeback effort on a three from B.J. Williams. The Panthers slowly chipped away at the lead, eventually cutting it to double figures after a Phillip Wallace three and a pair of free throws from Williams. Schneider scored 11 in the rally, while Trey Oyler and Wallace each hit a pair of threes.  A layup from Schneider answered a LaRoche basket with 1:24 to go, but the Panthers were unable to go any further as they were kept off the board for the remainder of the game.

Nathan Schneider scored a game-high 26 points and led the Panthers with 8 rebounds. Phillip Wallace scored 17 points and had 4 rebounds and 4 assists. B.J. Williams finished with 14 points on 4-6 shooting, including 3-3 from beyond the arc. Trey Oyler added 8 points off the bench.

 The Panthers fall to 6-6 on the season and 0-1 in AMCC play. They will return to action over the weekend when they travel to Cresson, Pa. to take on Mount Aloysius. Tipoff is slated for 2:00 p.m.