Bradford, PA. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team returned to KOA Arena after a winless three-game road swing on Wednesday, but could not right the ship s they struggled to slow Alfred State's offense in a 108-72 loss to the Pioneers.
The Panthers got off to a good start, scoring the first four points of the game on a Jamarion Butler putback and a fadeaway jumper from Gus Napoleon. Alfred State opened their scoring with a three, but the Panthers were able to maintain an advantage over the first 5 minutes of play when Napoleon added 4 more and Butler hit a long jump shot. The Pioneers tied the game with a three, and then following a timeout, answered four Panther points with two more from beyond the arc, a theme that would continue for the remainder of the half.
Logan Joncas pulled up for a jumper to tie the game at 16, but the Pioneers hit two more long balls on the next two possessions to jump ahead. This started a rally that saw the visitors score on 9 consecutive possessions, accounting for 22 points that allowed them to build a 14-point edge. The Panthers stayed within a few possessions early in the run as Xavion Boone Roberson converted a three-point play and Keshon Kittrell made a three from the wing, but Pitt-Bradford eventually fell off of the pace. Alfred State ended up scoring 59 points in the half, making 13 three-pointers to open up a commanding 23-point halftime edge.
The situation did not improve for the Panthers after the break. The Pioneers scored the first 13 points of the half before Boone Roberson made a pull-up jumper to put the Panthers on the board. Boone Roberson and Coby Farley both scored 6 points through the bulk of the 2nd half, but the Pioneers were able to slowly add to their lead before both teams went to the benches for the final 6 minutes of the game. In the last few minutes, the freshman grouping of Nasier Starks, Mason Emerson, Sam Whitaker, and Matt Pannes combined for 15 points to close out the game. The run included jumpers from Starks and Emerson, two layups from Whitaker, a floating jump shot, and a three-point play for Pannes.
Jesse Laster finished as the Panthers' leading scorer with 15 points. He also led the team with 7 rebounds. Jamarion Butler added 10 points and 6 rebounds. Keshon Kittrell provided valuable minutes off the bench, finishing with 7 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.
The loss drops the Panthers to 11-11 on the season and 7-8 in AMCC play. They will look to break the losing skid on Saturday when they host Carlow. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
