ALTOONA, Pa. – In a game that featured 16 lead changes, 15 ties, and an extra period to decide the outcome, the Penn State Altoona men's basketball team came out on top, defeating first-year Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference foe Carlow University 98-92 in overtime on Wednesday night in the Adler Arena.

The Lions (6-8, 5-2 AMCC) overcame 20 turnovers, 12 misses at the foul line, and several missed scoring opportunities to pull out the hard-fought victory over Carlow (3-11, 1-6 AMCC). Penn State Altoona was helped by 13 made three-pointers – tying for the fifth-most in a game in team history – including several late in the second half to spark the victory.

Justin Sheetz (Eldersburg, MD/Liberty) scored a career-high 30 points for Penn State Altoona to lead all scorers in the game, connecting on 10 of his 16 shot attempts, including going 6-for-10 from three-point range. Mason Bush (Pittsburgh, PA/Seneca Valley) secured a career-high 15 rebounds while scoring 11 points to notch his second double-double of the season.

Jahmar White (Yigo, Guam/St. Paul Christian School) added 18 points for the Lions, and Jarrett Gardner (Live Oak, FL/Suwanee) contributed a season-best 11 points. Michael Baskerville (Damascus, MD/Damascus) finished with season-highs in rebounds and blocks, securing 10 boards and blocking five shots.

"Huge win against a valiant Carlow team. Very happy to get this win while we try to get some of our pieces healthy," said Penn State Altoona head coach David McGreal. "Obviously, shoutout to Justin Sheetz for his offensive performance, Michael Baskerville for his defense, and Mason Bush for his rebounding."

Carlow was led in scoring by Oscar Contreras, who finished with 22 points. Riley Comforti added 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Celtics, while Byron Gaskins also scored 20 points.

Penn State Altoona and Carlow found themselves deadlocked at 42-42 by the conclusion of an evenly played first half.

The Lions led 6-0 a minute into the game, following a Braelen Cage (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary) three-pointer and a layup and free throw from White. Carlow came back to tie the game at 8-8, following back-to-back treys from Contreras. Gaskins' three-pointer at 14:27 helped the Celtics establish an 18-12 lead.

After a Contreras foul shot kept Carlow's lead at six, 21-15, at the 12:53 mark, Bush and Sheetz each connected on a pair of three-pointers to power a 12-0 Penn State Altoona run that put the home team ahead 27-21 by 10:20. Gardner's dunk just under two minutes later kept the difference at six points, and three-pointers from Aidan Goodwin (Norwalk, OH/Monroeville) and Sheetz boosted the Lions' lead to 10 points, 35-25, with 6:35 left in the half.

Carlow responded with a 13-0 run, capped by Contreras' three-pointer at 2:21 which put the Celtics back in front, 38-35. After a Griffin Ruhlman layup set Carlow's advantage at 42-38 with 56 seconds before the intermission, layups by Abiah Charles (Orlando, FL/Wekiva) and Gardner knotted the score at 42 by halftime.

The second half scoring totals were identical to the first, with each team again putting 42 points on the board.

Carlow started the period strong, opening with a 12-5 run to create a 54-47 lead by 17:13. But the Lions' deficit was erased over the next three minutes, when Penn State Altoona got a White jumper, Sheetz trey, and two Bush foul shots to tie the game at 54-54. The teams exchanged points over the next several minutes, finding themselves tied 65-65 after a Cage three-pointer at the 8:29 mark.

After another Cage trey put Penn State Altoona up 68-67, Carlow got three straight buckets from Contreras, Gaskins, and Comforti to jump ahead, 73-68, by 6:28. Contreras converted on a three-point play 4:41 to give his team a six-point lead, 78-72, and two Gaskins foul shots at 2:17 kept the visitors' advantage at six, 82-76.

Penn State Altoona bounced back again. Sheetz scored a layup for the Lions on their next possession, and he hit from three-point range at 1:05 to cut Carlow's lead to one, 82-81. Sheetz connected from beyond the arc again at the 33-second mark, giving Penn State Altoona an 84-82 advantage.

Carlow evened the score at 84-84 following a Gavin McClain putback layup with 17 seconds left. A Celtics foul with four seconds remaining put Penn State Altoona at the foul line, but the Lions were unable to put the go-ahead points on the board, and the game ultimately proceeded to overtime.

Gardner helped Penn State Altoona to an early lead in overtime, scoring a layup and sinking two free throws to give the Lions an 88-86 lead nearly a minute and a half into the period. Carlow responded with a four-point play, using Gaskins' three-pointer and an ensuing foul shot to leap in front, 90-88.

But Penn State Altoona worked its way back into the lead and never looked back. Layups from Charles, Sheetz, and White, as well as a Baskerville free throw, accounted for a 7-0 run by the Lions that put the home team ahead 95-90 with 1:19 left. Carlow picked up two points on Gaskins' foul shots at the 49-second mark, but Gardner and White combined to make three from the charity stripe over the final 35 seconds to help ice an exciting victory for the Lions.

Penn State Altoona returns to the road to start a three-game stretch of away games, beginning with a showdown against defending AMCC champion La Roche University this Saturday, January 13 at 4 p.m. in Pittsburgh.