WINCHESTER, Va. – The Penn State Altoona men's basketball team took down Methodist University 76-65 on Saturday afternoon in the James R. Wilkins, Jr. Athletics & Events Center, winning the Shenandoah Shootout championship while extending its win streak to five.

The Lions (7-2) were powered by another solid defensive effort, winning their first weekend tournament championship during head coach David McGreal's tenure. Penn State Altoona limited Methodist (6-5) to a 33.3 percent field goal percentage, while shooting 43.1 percent from the field themselves.

"It has been an exciting weekend for us here in Winchester," said McGreal. "I am so proud of how our team continues to find ways to win. We have worked really hard on our defense, and this weekend, it is what won us this tourney."

Andruw Harman (Chesapeake, VA/Great Bridge) and Cameron Gardner-Nicholson (Philadelphia, PA/Boys' Latin Charter) were each named to the All-Tournament team at the conclusion of Saturday's games, with Harman being selected as the tournament's most valuable player.

In Saturday's win over Methodist, Harman and Gardner-Nicholson led the way for Penn State Altoona. Harman notched his third double-double of the season with a game-high 17 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Meanwhile, Gardner-Nicholson had his team-leading fifth double-double of the year with 15 points and 10 rebounds to go along with a game-high three blocks.

"Druw has become an elite defender and rebounder for us, and big Cam has stepped up for us during this winning streak and has been a force at both ends of the floor," McGreal stated.

Additionally, the win gave McGreal his 46th career victory as the head coach of the Penn State Altoona men's basketball program, passing former coach Alan Seretti (2005-09) for the most wins by a coach in program history.

Robbie Hicks (Rockledge, FL/Rockledge) accounted for 15 points for the Lions, and Nate Gillen (Johnstown, PA/Central Cambria) came off the bench to score 12 points.

"Robbie has continued to be a huge factor on both ends of the floor, as well, and what gets lost is how good of a defender he is," said McGreal. "Our seniors have been the glue that has kept us going in the right direction. Trey [Trey Butterworth], Aus [Austin Krise], and Clev [Clevon Scott] have been masterful at their roles as leaders, and it is something that gets overlooked."

McGreal also credited several other players for their roles in the victory, as well as the team's recent success, in general.

"Our reserves bunch has been doing a great job with scout team and work their butts off in practice. This has been a true team effort," he said. "And even though Jack [Jack Kusters] didn't have his best game today, he hit huge shots and made big free throws, and he's been one of the best guards in the league."

Methodist was led in scoring by Kevin McLaughlin, who scored 15 points for the Monarchs. Kaymon Mitchell added 12 points and 16 rebounds, while Garren Dearman also scored 12 points.

Trailing 9-7 early in the first half, the Lions tied the score on Austin Krise's (Allport, PA/West Branch) jumper, then took the lead on a three-pointer from Harman and two-point shot by Gillen at 13:36.

Methodist responded by reclaiming the lead by the 9:46 mark, following a layup from Malik Edwards and back-to-back three-pointers from John Baker and Mitchell that made it 18-15. Dearman's bucket at 5:18 kept the Monarchs up, 24-22.

Two free throws from Gillen tied the score, then Gillen and Harman each sank jump shots to put Penn State Altoona ahead 28-24 by 3:30. Two more buckets from Gillen, along with Krise's layup, helped the Lions to a 34-31 lead at the half.

Methodist closed the gap to one point, 37-36, early in the second half, but Penn State Altoona responded with a layup from Gardner-Nicholson and three-pointer from Trey Butterworth (Clarence, PA/Bald Eagle) to establish a 42-36 advantage by 16:21.

Jack Kusters' (Quakertown, PA/Lansdale Catholic) three-pointer at 8:21 put the Lions up by four, 50-46, and Harman's steal and dunk at 7:18 made it 54-48. A Gillen steal in the next possession turned into a layup for Hicks, giving Penn State Altoona a 56-48 advantage.

A trio of free throws by Hicks extended the Lions' lead to 60-50 at 4:45, and he connected from three-point range at 3:49 to make it 63-52. Gardner-Nicholson's dunk at 2:28 kept his team's lead at 11 points, 68-57.

Penn State Altoona made eight free throws over the final 2:13 of the game to help preserve the win.

The Lions finished the game with slim scoring advantages over Methodist in second chance points (12-10), points in the paint (28-24), and bench points (20-17).

Penn State Altoona men's basketball will look to continue its momentum in January, when it resumes Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference play on the road. The Lions will start a three-game stretch of AMCC road games on Saturday, January 4, when they will travel to Buffalo, N.Y. to face Medaille College at 2:00 p.m.