Altoona, PA. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team was unable to come up with a road win at Penn State-Altoona on Saturday. Despite holding a one-point advantage at halftime, the Panthers ultimately fell 81-73 to the Lions.
Neither team was able to find the basket in the first 90 seconds of play as each team missed a jump shot and committed two early turnovers. The hosts found the basket first as they were able to hit two three-pointers on consecutive possessions, but Pitt-Bradford was able to respond quickly as they rattled off seven straight points to move into the lead. Lennon Lindholm started the scoring with a three-pointer and then Nathan Schneider added a layup and assisted Caden Beldin for a second. The teams traded the lead twice before Phillip Wallace completed a three-point play and Gavyn Mason added a layup to put the Panthers up four. The hosts scored 7 quick points in a one-minute span to take the lead.
After the teams traded layups, Lindholm and Schneider hit back-to-back three-pointers to regain the advantage. The Lions immediately cut the lead to two on a three and following a timeout, tied the game and took a 22-26 lead. Head Coach Jesse DeLoof took a timeout of their own with 4:09 remaining in the half and the Panthers responded, locking down defensively for the remainder of the period, keeping the hosts off the scoreboard. In that span, Schneider made 3 free throws and Jeremy Rodriguez added a pair with four seconds left to send the game to the break with Pitt-Bradford ahead 27-26.
Rodriguez started the second half scoring with a steal and fastbreak layup and then answered a Penn State Altoona three with one of his own to maintain the three-point edge. The Panthers were able to answer a pair of Lion baskets to keep their advantage at three, but with 15:39 left on the clock, the hosts began a 16-2 run over 5 minutes to turn their deficit into a double-digit lead.
With 6:48 to go, the Panthers went on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 7 points. Nathan Schneider cut to the basket and made a layup to start the rally and after a Wallace steal, Trey Oyler hit a three. The Panthers got another defensive stop and converted it into a Rodriguez layup with 5:36 remaining. The momentum did not stay with Pitt-Bradford for long, as the Lions quickly pushed their lead back to 12 with five straight points.
The Panthers made one final run with just under four minutes left. Gus Napoleon fed Schneider for a layup and on the ensuing possession, Rodriguez was able to steal the ball and go on the break. Rodriguez raced down the court for a layup but saw his effort blocked from behind. Fortunately for the Panthers, the block was deemed to occur after the ball hit the backboard, resulting in a goaltending violation. The reaction to the call saw Penn State-Altoona assessed a technical foul, which Schneider converted for two more points, putting the Panthers down 69-63. The Panthers were unable to maintain their momentum after the free throws however, as they were kept off the board for the next two minutes, allowing the hosts to extend their lead back into double figures. Napoleon and Lindholm hit late threes and Rodriguez made a layup on the final possession, but it was not enough, resulting in the 81-73 loss.
Jeremy Rodriguez led all scorers with 19 points, scoring 17 of them in the second half. He also had 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. Nathan Schneider notched his 4th double-double of the season, scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. He also led the Panthers with 4 assists and collected three steals. Phillip Wallace also reached double figures, finishing with 14 points.
The Panthers fall to 7-8 overall and 1-3 in AMCC play. They will look to return to the win column on Wednesday, as they travel to Alfred State for an important AMCC matchup. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.
