by McKenzie Quirin

ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona men's basketball team started the new year off right with their first win of 2024, as the Lions topped Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Alfred State College, 93-85, in Wednesday night's matchup at Adler Arena.

Penn State Altoona (5-7, 4-1 AMCC) rang in 2024 in fashion, pulling out a tightly contested win against Alfred State (5-7, 2-2 AMCC). The Lions finished the night with 52 points in the paint and 47 rebounds.

"It was good to get a win after heading back into conference play tonight, getting to 4-1 in the AMCC," said Penn State Altoona head coach David McGreal. "We hope to keep it going this weekend, when we have a big matchup on the road against Penn State Behrend."

Dwayne Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Greater Johnstown) led Penn State Altoona in points, rebounds, and blocks while tying for the team lead in assists and steals with Justin Sheetz (Eldersburg, MD/Liberty). Jones finished his night with 23 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, three steals and a pair of blocked shots, while Sheetz ended the night totaling 10 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Jahmar White (Yigo, Guam/St. Paul Christian School) added 15 points, as well as three rebounds and two assists, while Mason Bush (Pittsburgh, PA/Seneca Valley) put up 13 points with seven rebounds, second-best in the game among Lion rebounders, and two assists and one steal. Michael Baskerville (Damascus, MD/Damascus) ended his night with 11 points, two rebounds and one assist.

The Pioneers' Paris Jamison led Alfred State in points with 25 to go along with three rebounds, four assists and three steals. Jacob Gonzalez with a 12-point night, Dylan Perry with a 14-point night and Cody Schneider with a 16-point night also contributed to Alfred State's offense.

After Kevin Woodland, Jr.'s (Great Mills, MD/Great Mills) layup at 19:45 provided the first bucket of the game, the Pioneers got one of their own from a Jamison layup to tie the game at two apiece. Jones' three-pointer put the Lions back on top, leading Alfred State 5-2 early on. A quick tie by the Pioneers did not stop Penn State Altoona, as Jones netted a jump shot to give the Lions a 7-5 lead. The next few minutes of the game showcased back-and-forth scoring by both the Pioneers and the Lions.

Braelen Cage (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary) scored Penn State Altoona's second three-point jump shot of the night, and the Lions led 10-8 at the 16:07 mark. It was not long before Alfred State took the lead by a Perry three-pointer, making it 11-10 at 15:50. As the clock wound down near the halfway mark of the first half, Penn State Altoona built a five-point lead after a Jarrett Gardner (Live Oak, FL/Suwannee) layup made it 20-15. Both teams continued rolling on offense, and Alfred State worked its way into a 39-38 lead after a Michael Miller three-pointer at 2:01. But after a Bush layup, two Jones foul shots and a Baskerville dunk, Penn State Altoona led 44-39 going into halftime.

A dunk made by Jones at 19:05 got the second half started, as the Lions went up 46-39, but another three-pointer by Dunbar got the Pioneers within four exactly seven seconds later. Alfred State struggled after their three-pointer, giving up four points on layups from White and Woodland before taking a timeout at 17:37, down 50-44. Penn State Altoona increased its lead to seven points at the 14:43 mark, stemming from a Jones dunk that made it 56-49. After a Jamison jump shot closed the Lions' lead to five, Penn State Altoona came up with a big three-pointer from White to lead 59-51. After two free throws from the Pioneers, Gardner's layup increased Penn State Altoona's lead to eight, 61-53.

However, Alfred State continued to hang around, and the Pioneers chipped away at their deficit over the next several minutes before taking the lead, 72-70, on a Gonzalez layup at 6:34. The two teams traded points over the next possessions, and Alfred State found itself in front by one, 83-82, with 1:47 remaining in the game. The Pioneers continued to hold a one-point lead nearly a minute later, after a Gonzalez basket that made it 85-84 with 57 seconds left.

But Penn State Altoona responded with a Bush three-pointer that put the Lions back in front, 87-85, with 42 seconds on the clock. Sheetz made four free throws and a layup in the game's final 40 seconds, helping to end the Lions' night with a 93-85 victory.

Next up, Penn State Altoona men's basketball goes on the road to compete against AMCC opponent Penn State Behrend on Saturday, January 6, at 4 p.m.