Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team cut down the nets on Wednesday night, as they celebrated the program's first regular-season AMCC title since the 2001-02 season. The Panthers secured the crown with a 103-79 win over Penn State-Altoona.
Pitt-Bradford took the lead shortly after the opening tip, and never looked back. They scored the first 5 points of the game on a Keshon Kittrell free throw, a jumper by Xavion Boone, and a quick layup by Jesse Laster. The visitors quickly cut the lead to 1 with a basket and a pair of free throws, but the Panthers regained control immediately. Laster grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back up for two and then after he made two from the line, Xander Norris stepped back for three to give Pitt-Bradford a 12-4 advantage after 4 minutes of play. The Panthers maintained their lead over the next few minutes from the free throw line, and then extended the advantage into double-digits when Rodriguez hit a jumper late in the shot clock and then after Laster picked up a steal, Boone made a layup to go ahead 23-11.
Laster electrified the crowd with just under 10 minutes remaining in the half, converting a Nasier Starks steal into a fast break dunk. Despite a Lion layup after breaking the press, the Panthers added to their lead when Rodriguez made a short jump shot and then Kittrell scored 6 in a row with an old-fashioned three-point play, followed by a long ball from the wing to go ahead by 16. Pitt-Bradford maintained their lead from the free throw line until the 3-minute mark when Penn State-Altoona made a push to erase the lead. They outscored Pitt-Bradford 6-2 in the last two minutes of the half, with the Panthers' only basket coming on a fast-break dunk by Kittrell. Pitt-Bradford headed into the locker room for halftime holding a 44-35 lead.
Rodriguez jump-started the second half with a three from the wing, but the Panthers pressure defense struggled to regain footing and the visitors easily scored on their first four possessions of the period. The Panthers' lead was unaffected by the run, as Boone made a three and a layup, while Rodriguez and Butler sank midrange shots to keep the lead in double-digits. The PAnther advantage fluctuated between 10 and 14 points for the next few minutes of play until Boone drove to the basket for a layup, and then stole the Ball in the backcourt, setting up a Jamarion Butler three which put Pitt-Bradford up 66-48.
With 10 minutes remaining in the game, a Rodriguez layup temporarily gave Pitt-Bradford a 20-point lead, however, the visitors responded with 5 straight. Kittrell ended the rally with a layup which was quickly followed by a Panther timeout as Coach DeLoof began to set his defense for the final stretch. Laster whipped the home crowd into a frenzy once more with just over 7 minutes left on the clock, as he received a pass from Rodd Yarbrough and threw down a powerful slam dunk. The game slowed shortly after the dunk, as both teams had accumulated enough fouls to reach the bonus. Over the next 5 minutes, 16 of 19 points between the squads came from the free throw line, ending by an exchange of layups with Pitt-Bradford ahead 101-79. Laster brought the contest to a close, throwing down an acrobatic reverse slam in the final minute to finish the scoring.
The Enritre Pitt-Bradford starting five reached double figures, while the normally potent Panther bench was limited to 17 points as a whole. Jeremy Rodriguez led the Panthers in scoring, finishing with 23 points on 10-20 shooting. Jesse Laster finished a point behind the sophomore guard, scoring 22 points on 8-9 shooting and 6-8 free throws, to go along with 14 rebounds for his 4th double-double of the season. Jamarion Butler added 15 points, 8 of which came on a perfect evening from the free throw line. He also tallied 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Keshon Kittrell scored 14 points in the win, while Xavion Boone made 5-7 from the field to finish with 12 points. Xander Norris led the bench with 9.
The win moved the Panthers to 21-2 overall, with a 14-1 mark in AMCC play. They secured a first-place finish in the league standings, along with the #1 seed in the upcoming AMCC Tournament. The tourney begins next Tuesday with first-round games at the #3 and 4 finishers, with the winners joining the #2 seed and Pitt-Bradford in the final four. The conference semifinal round will be at 6 and 8 on Friday, February 28th, in KOA Arena, with the championship game following on Saturday. Before the postseason begins, Pitt-Bradford has one final regular-season game on Saturday afternoon. With the top seed secured, the Panthers will head to Pitt-Greensburg for a season finale against the Bobcats, who are battling Penn State-Altoona for the 2nd seed. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. in Pitt-Greensburg's Chambers Hall Gymnasium.
