Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team returned home on Wednesday to host Carlow in AMCC action. The Panthers used a balanced offensive attack to defeat the Celtics 124-101.
The Panthers started strong from the outside, jumping out to an early lead. Jesse Laster made a three on the opening possession and after the Celtics made a long ball to cut the lead to 1, Xander Norris matched the three to keep the Panthers in front. Keshon Kittrell quickly turned a steal in the backcourt into a layup, and then after a Carlow basket, Coby Farley made back-to-back threes to put Pitt-Bradford ahead 17-7.
The Panthers maintained their advantage through layups by Braylen Salters, Jeremy Rodriguez, and Xavion Boone, but with 10 minutes left in the half, the visitors began to rally. They quickly scored 5 points to cut the lead in half, then after an exchange of layups, they scored 7 straight to tie the game at 29, forcing a Pitt-Bradford timeout. Carlow scored first after the timeout, to take their first lead of the game. Rodriguez answered with a fast break layup to even the game, then following a pair of free throws, made a three, putting the Panthers back in front.
Leading 38-37, Pitt-Bradford retook control of the game, scoring 11 unanswered points in a span of 110 seconds. Salters started the rally with two layups and then Rodd Yarbrough took over, feeding Jamarion Butler for a dunk and then scoring 5 straight of his own. Norris, Kittrell, and Rodriguez made threes in the final 90 seconds of the half to send the game to the break with Pitt-Bradford leading 60-51.
The Celtics started the second half by scoring the first three points but saw the efforts quickly matched with a short Norris jump shot and a three by Salters. The Panther lead stayed at 9 until the 17-minute mark when a Laster three was followed by a Salters free throw and a Norris putback to extend the lead to 15. Carlow outscored Pitt-Bradford 8-2 over the next few minutes to cut their deficit back to 9 points, but with the score 80-70, the Panthers locked down on defense and went on a 10-0 run to double their advantage.
With 10 minutes to go, Pitt-Bradford went on another 11-point rally, extending their lead to 31. Rodriguez bookended the run with a layup and a floating jump shot, while Kittrell added a layup on the break and Norris hit 4 free throws. At the 6-minute mark, the Panthers began to expand the rotation. They maintained the advantage until Carlow scored 8 straight in the final minutes. Logan Joncas made two last free throws in the final minute, and the Panthers ran out the clock after a defensive stop.
Jeremy Rodriguez led all scorers with 23 points in only 16 minutes of action. He made 9-12 from the field, including 3-5 from three. Braylen Salters finished with 18 points, while fellow starters Rodd Yarbrough and Keshon Kittrell added 13 and 10 respectively. Kittrell registered a double-double in the win, also gathering 10 rebounds. Jamarion Butler finished with a full stat sheet, registering 16 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and a block. Xander Norris was the 6th and final Panther to reach double figures, scoring 16 points.
The Panthers continue to improve on their program-best start, moving to 11-1 with the win, including a 4-0 mark in AMCC play. They will be back in action on Saturday with a crucial matchup at Penn State-Behrend. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. in the Junker Center.
