ERIE, Pa. - The Penn State Altoona men's basketball team traveled north to compete against Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Penn State Behrend at Junker Center, where they lost to Behrend, 71-44.  

Penn State Altoona's (11-12, 5-9 AMCC) offense was kept in check throughout the game, as Penn State Behrend (16-7, 12-2 AMCC) limited the Lions to a field goal percentage of just 29.2 percent, including a 23.1 percent success rate from three-point range. 

"Behrend showed why they are at the top of the league. Our defense kept us in the game, but we could never get anything going consistently offensively," said Penn State Altoona head coach David McGreal. 

Rasheed Daniels (Richmond, VA/Monacan) led the Lions in scoring, getting 14 points. Kaden Claar (Portage, PA/Portage) got 10 points, and Zion Bruce (Kihei, HI/Maryknoll) added eight points for the Lions. Drew Escala (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) led the Lions in boards, getting six rebounds.  

Behrend's Jacob Dunkle finished with a game-high 23 points, while Nate Edwards added 13 points for the home team.  

Penn State Altoona stayed within touching distance early in the game, as Bruce scored a three pointer at 13:48 to reduce Penn State Behrend's lead to only three points. After falling behind 17-10, the Lions responded as Braelen Cage (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary) scored two free throws and Claar scored a layup to make it 17-14. 

The tide for the first half started to shift though at 8:08 as Behrend went on a 13-2 run to take a 14-point lead with less than three minutes to go in the first half. The run forced a timeout and reset from the Lions. The Lions came from the timeout more focused, as Claar scored a three-pointer at 2:37 to make it 30-19. The Lions allowed five points in the final minute-and-a-half to head into the intermission down 35-20.  

Both teams didn't have the quickest starts in the second half, as it wasn't until 18:09 that the scoring started. Claar scored a two-point jump shot and converted the following free throw to decrease Behrend's lead to 12.  

At 13:38, Daniels orchestrated an 8-0 run, scoring a layup and two three-pointers to make it 45-36.  

Unfortunately for the Lions, things unraveled in the final nine-and-a-half minutes of the game. At 9:39, Penn State Behrend scored 19 unanswered points to take a 28-point lead.  

Behrend took their biggest lead of the game with 30 seconds remaining after a Drew Hind three-point shot. Max Voyda (Homer City, PA/Homer-Center) responded with a three-point shot of his own to make the score, 71-44, where it finished.  

"However, on the good side, with Alfred State and Mount's losses today, we did clinch our eighth conference tournament appearance in nine years. Hopefully, we can finish with some momentum next week heading into tournament play." 

Penn State Altoona men's basketball will compete in their final home game of the season on Wednesday, February 18, as they host Pitt Greensburg at Adler Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.