Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team hosted Penn State-DuBois on Saturday, winning 116-90 over the Lions. Their total of 116 points was the most the program has scored in a game since the 2005-06 campaign.
The Panthers never trailed in the game, as Jamarion Butler opened the scoring with a layup on the game's opening possession. Xavion Boone and Braylen Salters each made layups to keep the Panthers ahead, but the Lions quickly answered with a fast break dunk and a tip-in to tie the game at 8. Salters answered with a pair of three-pointers, giving Pitt-Bradford the lead for good.
Leading 16-14, Pitt-Bradford went on a 20-3 run to take control of the game. The Panthers had back-to-back dunks in the run, energizing the crowd. Rodd Yarbrough had the first, as he was found with a long pass to beat the press for a fast break basket. After a turnover, Salters touched a pass to Butler who threw down a two-handed slam through contact for a three-point play. The rally was punctuated by a pair of threes from Keshon Kittrell, giving the Panthers a 36-17 lead.
Penn State-DuBois took advantage of a Pitt-Bradford cold streak, cutting their lead down to 9 with a 13-3 run. Rodd Yarbrough hit a jumper to stop the rally, and Salters added a field goal and four free throws to push the lead back to 16. In the final minute of the first, Logan Joncas made a three on a second-chance opportunity and Butler made a last-second layup to send the game to the break with Pitt-Bradford ahead 54-34.
The Panthers came out of the break firing on all cylinders as Boone made a three on the Panthers' first possession and Jesse Laster hit a mid-range jumper after a Lion putback. Kittrell hit two straight inside and then after stealing the ball found LAser for a bucket to give Pitt-Bradford a 65-39 lead.
With 12 minutes remaining, Joncas hit a pair of threes on consecutive possessions to give the Panthers their largest lead of the game at 31 points. After Tra Edwards scored 5 straight for the Panthers, Xander Norris took over, scoring 9 in a row. He made two put-backs, a pair of free throws, and a three in the stretch.
Pitt-Bradford expanded the rotation for the final 10 minutes of the game, which was followed by a Penn State DuBois rally that cut the lead to 18. Nasier Starks made a layup with 5:11 on the clock, putting the Panthers over the century mark for the second time in three games. Blake Kriznaric made a putback layup and then Jaheim Mims made a pull-up jumper and an acrobatic layup in the final minutes. Dante Sanchez hit a corner three with 24 seconds left to finish the scoring in the game.
16 different Panthers scored in the game, led by Braylen Salters, who finished with 23. Salters made 7-10 from the field, including 3-5 from three, and made all 6 free throws he attempted. Keshon Kittrell made 5-7 from the field to finish with 12 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Xander Norris provided a spark off the bench, scoring 13 points while leading the Panthers with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Rodd Yarbrough also reached double-figures, scoring 10 points in the win.
The win gives the Panthers their first 3-0 start since the 2012-13 season. On Wednesday they will host Alfred, looking for their 4th consecutive win to begin the season, giving the program its best start since joining the NCAA. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. in KOA Arena.
