Erie, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team had a rough outing in Erie on Wednesday night, as they fell to Penn State-Behrend 81-49.
The Panthers got out to an early start as they answered an opening three with back-to-back driving layups from Nathan Scheider. Gavyn Mason and Schneider each added baskets inside to keep the Panthers level with their hosts. While the Lions seemed to find their range from beyond the arc, the Panthers kept close, as they responded to each Penn-State Behrend-Basket with one of their own. Schneider and JErmey Rodriguez each made a field goal in the lane before back-to-back threes put the Lions up six and forced a Pitt-Bradford timeout.
After the timeout, the Panthers responded, scoring six straight to tie the game at 20. Schneider made a layup out of the stoppage and Phillip Wallace made a layup after a Caden Beldin steal. Following a miss, BJ Williams drove to the basket and made a layup to tie the game. Schneider made a free throw to answer a Lion basket, but it was followed by a cold stretch that saw the Panthers unable to score for three minutes. As cold as The Panthers were from the field in the stretch, their opponents got hot, scoring 11 unanswered to jump out to a big lead. Alex Rodriguez slowed the charge with a three from the wing, but it was followed by three straight long balls from the hosts. Schneider made a jumper in the final minute, but it was not enough to keep the Panthers close, as the Lions had closed the half on a 25-5 run to take a 21-point lead into halftime.
Mason made a pair of early buckets in the 2nd half, but each was answered by a Behrend 3 to see the deficit grow. The hosts continued their hot shooting in the second half often answering a Panther basket with another three. They quickly pushed their lead over 30 and were able to maintain the cushion for the remainder of the game.
Nathan Schneider led the Panthers with 13 points, with all of them coming in the first half. he also grabbed 3 rebounds and registered a pair of steals. Gavyn Mason added 6 points, making 3 of 4 shots, while Alex Rodriguez added a pair of threes off the bench.
The loss drops the Panthers to 11-11 on the season, with a 5-6 record in AMCC play. They are in a 3-way tie for 4th place in the conference standings. They will look to bounce back from the loss on Saturday, as they travel to Greensburg for another crucial game in determining post-season standings. Thipoff against the Pitt-Greensburg Bobcats is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
