Pittsburgh, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team saw its season come to an end on Friday, as they were unable to keep up with #2 Penn State-Altoona, falling 109-96 in the AMCC Semifinals.

The Panthers were able to start the scoring as Jeremy Rodriguez stole the ball on the first possession and scored on the fast break. The Lions quickly recovered, scoring 7 of the next 9 points to take a 7-4 lead. Caden Beldin made a three to tie the game at 9 with 16:46 to go but his basket was followed by 12 straight from the Lions, leading to a Pitt-Bradford timeout. Nathan Schneider stopped the rally after the breather, driving to the basket for a layup. Minutes later, the Panthers cut the lead back to 4 points as B.J. Williams and Caden Beldin hit threes on back-to-back possessions and Lennon Lindholm sank two free throws with 9:12 to go.

The Panthers exchanged baskets with the Lions for the next few minutes, but with the score 28-34, the Lions went on another run, outscoring the Panthers 12-0 over a three-minute span to push the lead to 18. The Panthers quickly cut the lead back to 10, as a Schneider layup was followed by consecutive threes from Lindholm and Beldin. Both teams added free throws in the final minute of the half, sending the game to the break with the Lions up 50-40.

Gavyn Mason made an early layup after the break, but the Lions blitzed the Panthers scoring 18 of 24 in the first 5 minutes of the half, extending their lead back over 20 points. Over the middle of the half, the Panthers were unable to string together baskets and defensive stops, as the Lions maintained their 20-point advantage until there was 2:29 left in the game. Over the last two minutes, the Panthers were able to score 12 of 16 points to reach the final point differential of 13. Rodriguez started the rally with a pair of free throws and then Gus Napoleon stole the ball in the backcourt and raced down the court for a fast-break slam dunk. Nate Schneider made a three and a layup for his final two shots of the season and B.J. Williams made a three just before the buzzer.

Nathan Schneider led all scorers with 28 points. he made 11-18 from the field, grabbed 8 rebounds, and had 2 assists. Caden Beldin set a new career high with 21 points, making 5-8 from beyond the arc. Three other Patnrehs were also able to reach double figures. Starters Jeremy Rodriguez and Lennon Lindholm scored 15 and 10 points respectively, while BJ. Williams finished with 11 points off the bench. 

The Panthers finish their season with a 12-15 overall record. They reached the postseason for the first time since 2016, and won a postseason game for the first time since 2015-16.