by Casey Burinskas

BRADFORD, Pa. – In a rematch of last season's Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference championship game Wednesday night, the Penn State Altoona men's basketball team came up short, as the Lions suffered a 104-78 defeat at the hands of Pitt-Bradford in the KOA Arena.

Pitt-Bradford (11-7, 6-3), the defending conference champion, staked out a big lead in the first half, working its way to a 50-28 halftime advantage. Penn State Altoona (8-9, 2-6 AMCC) got its offense going in the second half, when the Lions were able to put 50 points on the board. But the visitors could not dig out of their hole, as the Panthers finished with a 26-point victory.

"Hopefully these next four home games give us a big boost so we can gain some position in the conference," said Penn State Altoona head coach David McGreal, referencing his team's upcoming four-game homestand against AMCC opponents.

Kaden Claar (Portage, PA/Portage) led the Lions in scoring with 18 points, helped by a 4-for-7 performance from three-point range. Rasheed Daniels (Richmond, VA/Monacan) scored 16 points, Michael Baskerville (Damascus, MD/Damascus) secured a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with eight points and three blocks, and Aidan McCormack (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury) provided eight points off the bench.

Pitt-Bradford's Jeremy Rodriguez led all scorers with 20 points. Clarence Cobbins finished with 16 points for the Panthers, and Coby Farley contributed 13 points.

Penn State Altoona found itself playing from behind from the beginning, as the Lions struggled to find offensive rhythm early while Pitt-Bradford capitalized to open up with a 7-0 lead within the first four minutes of the game. Despite the slow start, the Lions continued to battle on the defensive end. Baskerville was active, recording multiple rebounds and a pair of blocks throughout the half.

Penn State Altoona cut into the Pitt-Bradford lead with three straight baskets from McCormack that made it a six-point game, 12-6, and a Braelen Cage (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary) jumper at 12:27 helped the Lions stay within striking distance, 15-8, midway through the half.

Pitt-Bradford, however, responded with shooting, stringing together a run fueled by three-pointers and offensive rebounds to stretch the lead into double figures, as the Panthers went up 38-20 with five minutes left in the half.

A layup, two free throws, and continued defensive effort from Baskerville kept the Lions fighting late in the half, and Claar's layup and two Teddy Mangan (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury) free throws helped Penn State Altoona chip away. But Pitt-Bradford got a Rodriguez three-pointer in the closing seconds of the period, and the Panthers took a 50-28 lead into the locker room.

Penn State Altoona opened the second half looking to make up ground, but Pitt-Bradford maintained control early with steady scoring and strong rebounding. After Tommy Walton started the half with a jumper for the Panthers, the Lions answered with a Claar layup, followed by a Mason Kargo (Portage, PA/Portage) basket, to keep pace with Pitt-Bradford's scoring.

Daniels began to find his rhythm attacking the lane, scoring back-to-back layups and a free throw to spark an 11-0 run, as Altoona put together one of its best stretches of the game. Daniels then knocked down a three-pointer at the 15:52 mark, and Claar continued that surge with a three off a Kargo assist, trimming the gap to 56-43 and forcing Pitt-Bradford to respond. The Panthers halted the Lions' run with six straight points from Cobbins, regaining some separation to make it 60-43.

The Lions continued to compete offensively, with McCormack making a layup and Jalen Triplin (Altoona, PA/Altoona) connecting on a three-pointer to make it a 14-point game, 62-48. A jumper from Zion Bruce (Kihei, HI/Maryknoll) at 12:03 kept Penn State Altoona within 14, 64-50. But the Lions struggled to string together stops, as Pitt-Bradford expanded its lead over the rest of the game.

Claar added three more three-pointers later in the half, created by two steals from Kargo and one by Baskerville. Despite those flashes, Pitt-Bradford's efficiency wore on Altoona, as they converted turnovers into points and controlled the court for the rest of the game.

Even while falling farther behind, Altoona kept attacking. Daniels continued to score, while Sean Capers (Bronx, NY/Lyman), Brendan Abell (Severna Park, MD/Severna Park), Max Voyda (Homer City, PA/Homer-Center), and JT Harman (Fredericksburg, PA/St. Michael the Archangel) added late points off the bench. However, Pitt-Bradford closed the game by steadily extending the lead in the final minutes to secure the 104-78 final.

Next, the Lions will start an important four-game AMCC homestand in the Adler Arena this Saturday, January 31, taking on Hilbert College at 3 p.m.