Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team wrapped up their regular season on Saturday, defeating Pitt-Greensburg 76-62.
Before the start of the action, the Panthers took a few moments to recognize their graduating seniors. Jackson McManus was first up or the Panthers. McManus played two seasons for the Panthers, before serving as a student assistant coach this year. McManus was invaluable this season as he helped the coaching staff run practices and prepare game plans. As a player, he played in 12 contests, scoring 9 points and registering 3 assists. Next up was fan favorite Noah Wichert, who has played 3 seasons with the Panthers. For his career, the big man totaled 15 games, scoring 16 points, while grabbing 16 rebounds. Last, but not least was Gus Napoleon. Gus has played 66 games for the Panthers, and stepped into a starting role this season, starting all 25 games for the Panthers. For his career, he has totaled 469 points, 136 rebounds, and 58 assists.
Once the action began, the Panthers got off to a slow start, as the visitors took an early lead. They were able to right the ship after two minutes and scored 7 straight. Jamarion Butler started the scoring with a pull-up jump shot, and then after a stop, Trey Dravis drilled a three. The Panthers got another defensive stop on the next possession before Butler finished the run with a putback layup. Pitt-Bradford was unable to hold onto the momentum, and the Bobcats took advantage, making threes on back-to-back possessions to retake the lead. The teams exchanged baskets until Jesse Laster put the Panthers in front for good when he stole the ball at the top of the key and raced to the basket for a fast-break slam dunk. Xavion Boone Roberson added a jumper before Napoleon sank a free throw, but the Bobcats did not back down, as they stayed within one possession of the Panthers. Laster sent the home crowd into a frenzy over the next few minutes as he threw down an electrifying two-hand slam and then made back-to-back long balls. A third three from Keshon Kittrell extended the lead to 8 before Pitt-Greensburg was able to score again.
The Panthers extended their lead to double digits at the 8-minute mark when Butler converted a putback layup and Napoleon drained a three from the corner. Napoleon was fouled on the shot but was unable to convert the 4-point play from the line. Baskets from Laster, Kittrell, and Coby Farley kept the Panther lead at 12, and then Pitt-Bradford locked down over the final 2:35 of the half, keeping the Bobcats off the board for the closing stretch. In the final two minutes, the Panthers scored 7 points, as Farley and Davis each made a pair of free throws and LAster added one more. Farley finished the first half with a driving layup that put the Panthers ahead 43-24 at halftime.
Pitt-Bradford started the second half strong, as Napoleon made an early jump shot and Laster converted two from the stripe but found difficulty handling the Pitt-Greensburg press for a 5-minute stretch, which allowed the visitors to slowly whittle the lead down to 5 points with 12:43 remaining. Napoleon ended the drought with a clutch three and then after a Butler layup, he made another long ball to get the advantage back to double digits. The Bobcats attempted to rally once more, cutting the lead to 6 points, but their attempt was futile as Kittrell and Davis made threes to keep Pitt-Bradford in front. Leading by 11 with 6:19 to go, Jamarion Butler was able to put the game away for the Panthers, scoring 10 of Pitt-Bradford's final 12 points. He made six straight from the line and added a layup and with a minute left, punctuated the victory with a one-handed dunk.
Butler led all scorers in the game with 21 points, he also registered a double-double, as he gathered 10 rebounds. Jesse Laster scored 15 points for the Panthers, while Trey Davis and Gus Napoleon scored 12 each.
The win moves the Panther's record to 14-11 on the season, guaranteeing the program's first winning season since 2014-15. They finish conference play with a 10-8 record, giving them the 5th seed in the AMCC Tournament. They will face a familiar foe in the first round, as they will be on the road for a rematch with Pitt-Greensburg. The game will take place at Pitt-Greensburg's Chambers Hall on Tuesday, February 21st. It will be part of a doubleheader and is scheduled to begin at approximately 8:00 p.m. The Panthers split the regular season matchup with the Bobcats. They fell 71-70 in the final moments at Pitt-Greensburg on January, 13th, before winning today's regular-season finale.
