Lions Take on Alfred State In Midweek Matchup

ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team hosts Alfred State on Wednesday, Jan. 17. Tip off in the Junker Center is slated for 7:00 p.m.

Coverage:

Video | Live Stats | Game Notes

Behrend News & Notes:

* Behrend scored a road victory at Hilbert, 71-55, last Wednesday
* Tommy DiRienzo (Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park) led all scorers with 23 points to go along with four rebounds, two steals, and two blocks
* Sophomore guard Matthew McDonough (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) also scored in double-figures, registering 19 points on 7-14 from the field and 5-11 from beyond the arc
* Michael Sopko (New Castle, PA/Neshannock) grabbed a team-high six rebounds and blocked three shots on the defensive end, while Mason Blankenberg (Ontario, NY/Wayne) chipped in a game-high five assists to go along with five rebounds off the bench
* As a team, Behrend outscored Hilbert off turnovers (20-13) and points in the paint (32-22)
* DiRienzo leads the AMCC with 19.9 points per game, while RJ Marsh (State College, PA/Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy) pulls down a team-high 7.4 rebounds per game to rank ninth in the conference
* The Lions are first in the conference in free-throw percentage (74.7) and third in three-point percentage (34.5)

Meet the Opposition:

* Alfred State holds an overall record of 8-7 and a conference record of 6-2 to sit first in the AMCC standings. The Pioneers defeated Carlow this past Saturday (84-76)
* Senior guard Paris Jamison ranks second in the AMCC in points per game (19.3), while Cody
Schneider (17.3 ppg) and Dylan Perry (11.0 ppg) also average double-figures
* Schneider pulls down a conference-high 9.6 rebounds per game
* The Pioneers were selected to finish eighth in the 2023-24 AMCC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
* Jamison and Schneider were named AMCC Preseason Players to Watch
* Head coach Jack Dignan is in his second season at the helm of the men's basketball program

Series History:

* Behrend leads the series 7-2, dating back to the 2015-16 season. However, Alfred St. won both the matchups against the Lions last season