Wooster, OH -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team responded to their first loss of the season at the Wooster Kiwanis Classic on Sunday evening, defeating Case Western in game two of the event less than twenty-four hours later by a score of 102-97.
Pitt-Bradford started slow, allowing the Spartans to make two early three-pointers to fall into a 6-1 deficit after a minute and a half. They quickly erased the lead, as after a Jamarion Butler free throw was matched by Case Western, Coby Farley sank a three and Jeremy Rodriguez added a short jump shot to tie the game at 7. Following a Case Western three, Rodriguez made one of his own and Farley answered a Spartan lay-up with another long ball to give Pitt-Bradford their first lead of the game.
The Panthers used a pair of turnovers to score 6 quick points and extend their advantage to 7. After a timeout, Butler completed a three-point play with a free throw, but it was followed by a 9-2 Case Western run, which erased the Pitt-Bradford lead. Robert Richards made a layup and Rodriguez sank another three before the Spartans went on a 12-2 rally to go ahead 34-29 with 7 minutes left in the half.
Pitt-Bradford was able to rally and score six unanswered points as Butler started the run with a layup and after a Rodd Yarbrough tip-in, Braylen Salters stole the ball and raced to the basket for a fast-break layup. The teams exchanged baskets for the next four minutes and the half neared its end with the score tied at 41. Pitt-Bradford could not maintain the momentum to close the period, however, and Case Western finished the first on a 12-6 run. Salters hit four late free throws to send the game to the break with Pitt-Bradford trailing 53-47.
After the break, neither team could take control and exchanged field goals for the first two minutes of play until Xander Norris made a three, stole the ball, and hit a layup to cut the deficit to three. The stalemate returned for the next three minutes, and Case Western was able to answer every Pitt-Bradford attempt to cut into their advantage. With 14:06 remaining, the Spartans extended their lead to 8, but the Panthers responded with a 13-3 run. Butler began the rally with a three-point play and then Salters tipped in a rebound to reduce the lead to three. Case Western made a three to slow the rally, but Laster made two free throws, stole the ball, and converted a layup. Salters made two free throws to tie the game at 75 and Butler made a mid-range jumper to put Pitt-Bradford back in front.
Over the next 5 minutes, the lead exchanged hands five times. Salters made a three from the wing to tie the game at 94 with just under four minutes remaining and then after a timeout, Yarbrough drove to the basket for a layup. Case Western answered on the next possession but from that point onward Pitt-Bradford locked down on the defensive end, allowing only one free throw over the last 3-minutes of play. Butler converted a layup to give Pitt-Bradford the lead for good, and then after a Case Western free throw, tipped in a third-chance putback to extend the lead to three. He made two late free throws down the stretch to put the game away.
Jamarion Butler led all scorers with 31 points and also registered his third double-double of the season, grabbing 13 rebounds. Braylen Salters added 13 points and finished with 4 assists and 3 steals. Rodd Yarbrough scored 12 and had 6 rebounds. Jeremy Rodriguez and Xander Norris each scored 10 points off the bench.
Butler was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 32.0 points and 10.0 rebounds over two games. He shot 55.8% from the field in the event.
The Panthers move to 9-1 on the season with the victory. They will return to AMCC play for the remainder of the season, starting with a matchup against La Roche on Saturday. The Panthers will travel to Pittsburgh for the matchup, with tipoff slated for 2:00 p.m.
