Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team hosted Pitt-Greensburg on Saturday afternoon, rallying late to defeat the Bobcats 98-93.
The contest started slowly, as neither team scored on their first few positions until the visitors made a short jumper to open the scoring after 90 seconds. Xavion Boone answered shortly after, driving to the basket for a layup to get the Panthers kick-started. A Minute later, Coby Farley sank a three-pointer in transition, and then after a timeout, Jamarion Butler made a pair from the line to give Pitt-Bradford an early 7-2 lead. The Bobcats spent the next few minutes trying to cut into the early lead, but the Panthers continued to answer, using layups by Butler and Rodd Yarbrough to maintain the advantage. After a Yarbrough three put the Panther ahead 14-8, Pitt-Greensburg scored 5 straight to trim the lead to one.
Butler made a pair of free throws to stop the rally and began a 20-5 run for the Panthers. Butler's free throws were followed by another Farley three. After the visitors matched that, Jesse Laster made two from the line and Butler sank two mid-range jumpers to give the Panthers an 8-point edge. Pitt-Greensburg slowed the run with a layup in transition, but only slightly, as Butler made two more free throws to start another 9-0 Panther run. Laster threw down a dunk and then following a three by Xander Norris, added a layup to put the Panthers ahead 34-8.
Pitt-Bradford's offense was slowed for the final 9-minutes of the half. They were limited to two field goals and a free throw over 8-minutes of action, while the visitors slowly chipped away at the lead, ultimately tying the game at 39 with 46 seconds remaining in the half. Norris made another long ball with 30 seconds to go, but his shot was matched by the Bobcats in the final seconds, sending the game to halftime tied at 42.
Both teams struggled to restart their offenses after the break and after 5 minutes of play in the second half, they split 10 points to remain tied. Pitt-Bradford retook control first, going on a quick 9-0 run. Braylen Salters made two from the line and then drained a three to start the rally, before Boone And Norris each made a pair of free throws, putting the Panthers ahead 56-47. The Panther lead eventually grew back to double-digits when Keshon Kittrell converted a three-point play with 13:11 on the clock.
The visitors struck right back, going on a 13-0 run to turn their deficit into a 68-65 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the game. After a Pitt-Bradford timeout and a Laster free throw, the Bobcats pushed their lead to 5 with a three, but the Panthers erased it in just two possessions when Salters made a short jumper and Norris made a pull-up three. Pitt-Greensburg answered with four in a row, however, Kittrell converted a steal into a layup and after another stop, Farley retired the game from the line. The teams exchanged field goals over the next four possessions before Farley made a three from the corner after a Butler steal to put the Panthers back in front. Kittrell blocked a jump shot on the next possession and Butler turned it into a layup to put the Panthers up by 5 with just over 6 minutes remaining.
Pitt-Greensburg cut the lead back to two points with a free throw and a dunk around a timeout, but Butler was able to make four straight free throws to push the Pitt-Bradford advantage back to 6. He once again answered 4 straight from the Bobcats with back-to-back layups, but they were followed by a 7-0 Bobcat run, giving the visitors a 93-92 lead with one minute remaining in the game. On the next trip down the floor, Kittrell drove to the basket for a go-ahead layup which was followed by a timeout. Over the final minute, the Panthers locked down defensively, forcing a pair of turnovers without allowing a shot attempt. After the second steal, Butler made two free throws to extend the lead to three. The Panthers fouled to keep the visitors from attempting a game-tying three, and the strategy paid off, as the Bobcat shooter missed both free throws, the second intentionally. Butler grabbed the final rebound and was fouled. He made both free throws to secure the 98-93 win.
Jamarion Butler led all scorers with 31 points. He recorded his 5th double-double of the season, as he also led Pitt-Bradford with 12 rebounds. He made 17-18 from the free-throw line and also tallied 6 steals and 3 assists. Coby Farley and Xander Norris each scored 13 points off the bench, while Braylen Salters finished with 11 and Jesse Laster added 10.
The Victory moves Pitt-Bradford to 14-1 on the season, with a 7-0 record in AMCC play. They will return to action on Wednesday, as they will wrap up the first turn through their AMCC schedule with a matchup at 2nd place Penn State-Altoona. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. at Penn State Altoona's Adler Arena.
