Lions Prove Too Much for Panthers Saturday

ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team earned a hard-fought victory over Pitt-Bradford Saturday afternoon in the Junker Center.

Score: Penn State Behrend 77, Pitt-Bradford 59

Records: Penn State Behrend (14-6, 9-4 AMCC), Pitt-Bradford (11-10, 7-7 AMCC),

Key Moments:

* Pitt-Bradford held the Lions scoreless in the first three minutes of the game, jumping out to a 6-0 advantage
* However, Behrend stormed back thanks to three triples off the bench from freshman Shawn Mason (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas). The Lions grabbed a 15-12 lead with 11:25 left in the first half and never looked back
* Behrend claimed a 47-29 advantage going into halftime, led by Tommy DiRienzo's (Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park) and Mason Blankenberg's (Ontario, NY/Wayne) 12 and 10 points
* The Lions continued to force the Panthers to work for made baskets in the second half, eventually securing their ninth conference win of the season
* DiRienzo led Behrend with 21 points on 8-16 shooting from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line. This marks DiRienzo's 19^th double-digit scoring game of the season and 11^th contest with 20 or more points
* Off the bench, Blankenberg added 16 points and four rebounds, while Mason chipped in nine points
* Senior RJ Marsh (State College, PA/Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy) filled up the stat sheet for the Lions, finishing with his second double-double of the year
* Marsh tallied 12 points, a game-high 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks
* For the Panthers, Gus Napoleon recorded a game-high 23 points, while Jamarion Butler and Samuel Brown each grabbed six rebounds
* Behrend held Butler to only six points as he came in to Saturday's contest tied for third in the AMCC with 18.6 points per game
* As a team, Behrend scored 19 points off 12 Pitt-Bradford turnovers and outscored the Panthers in the paint (33-28) and off the bench (52-13)

Up Next:

* The Lions will have a quick turnaround with Wells coming to the Junker Center on Monday, Feb. 5. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.