by McKenzie Quirin

TIFFIN, Ohio – Penn State Altoona men's basketball suffered its first loss of the season Saturday night, when the Lions fell to Heidelberg University, 111-66, on the road in the 2023 Ron Linhart Memorial Tournament, held at Seiberling Gymnasium.

"We came up against a way better team than we have seen with way more experience than us, and it showed most of the night," said Penn State Altoona head coach David McGreal. "We played three freshmen point guards tonight, and I thought they held their own. Our goal is to just keep getting better every day."

Three players contributed double-digit points during the loss for Penn State Altoona (1-1). Senior forward Mason Bush (Pittsburgh, PA/Seneca Valley) had 11 points, while freshman guard Aidan Goodwin (Norwalk, OH/Monroeville) had 10 points and sophomore guard Kaden Claar (Portage, PA/Portage) had 10 points with four rebounds.

At the conclusion of the game, Bush was named to the all-tournament team.

Heidelberg (2-0) was led by 21 points from Tre Watkins, and Isaiah Young scored 17 points.

The Lions started the matchup against Heidelberg off strong, as freshman guard Elliot Johansson (Stockholm, Sweden/Tibble Gymnasium) made a jump shot outside of the paint for two points, giving Penn State Altoona the game's first basket. But Heidelberg came back immediately to take the lead, and the Student Princes took over the first half against the Lions, pushing offensively to run up a large advantage for most of the period. Heidelberg held a 64-43 lead going into halftime, a 21-point deficit for Penn State Altoona.

Coming off halftime, Heidelberg continued to extend its lead during the second period. Halfway through the second half, the Student Princes had increased their lead to 89-57, a 32-point difference, and they later found themselves holding a 45-point advantage against Penn State Altoona by the end of the game.

Despite the final score, McGreal and his team were able to take away some positives from the game.

"Today, we played some really good basketball in stretches against a really good team," said McGreal. "Now, we have to get back to work and get ready for a big rivalry game and get back on the winning ways."

Next up, the Penn State Altoona men's basketball team will travel to Huntingdon on Tuesday, November 14 to face Juniata College at 7 p.m.