by McKenzie Quirin

ALFRED, N.Y. – The Penn State Altoona men's basketball team dropped a close game on Saturday afternoon at the Orvis Activities Center, falling 81-72 to Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Alfred State College.

Penn State Altoona (8-13, 7-7 AMCC) held a modest lead early in the first half, but Alfred State (11-10, 9-5 AMCC) took over and the Lions were forced to play from behind the rest of the day. Penn State Altoona was hurt by its own turnovers, as the Lions committed 19 compared to the Pioneers' 10.

Mason Bush (Pittsburgh, PA/Seneca Valley) led the Lions in points with 18 to go along with eight rebounds and three assists. Dwayne Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Greater Johnstown) ended the afternoon with 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season, while Justin Sheetz (Eldersburg, MD/Liberty) had 12 points and two steals.

For Alfred St., Ryan Rosa scored 25 of the team's 81 points while adding five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Michael Miller added 21 points, and Dylan Perry finished with 18 points.

The Pioneers got the game's scoring started early when Rosa put in a free throw to give Alfred State a 1-0 lead. Although Aidan Goodwin's (Norwalk, OH/Monroeville) three-pointer put the Lions up 3-1, the Pioneers put in a quick layup to tie the game at three 19 seconds later. Jones got Penn State Altoona back in front, 5-3, after he made a jump shot, but Perry's three-pointer for Alfred St. allowed them to take a one-point lead, 6-5. Penn State Altoona used a Michael Baskerville (Damascus, MD/Damascus) bucket and a Jones layup and foul shot to reclaim the lead, 10-9. After another Perry three-pointer, Bush put in a pair of free throws to tie it 12-12 at 16:08.

From that point, the Pioneers outscored the Lions 26-14 over the next 10 minutes, taking a 38-26 lead following a Rosa layup at 6:06. Penn State Altoona made a push late in the half to get back to within single digits, as a Baskerville dunk, three-pointers from Braelen Cage (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary) and Bush, and a Jarrett Gardner (Live Oak, FL/Suwannee) free throw trimmed the Alfred St. lead to 40-35 by halftime.

As the second half started, the Pioneers got on the board early from a Miller three-pointer to extend their lead to 43-35, and Cody Schneider added one point to Alfred State's lead when he put in a free throw. Penn State Altoona got close to the Pioneers' lead, as Bush made a free throw, Jones added a layup, and Sheetz had a dunk to make it a four-point game, 44-40. But Alfred St. was able to increase its lead back into double digits, and the Pioneers went up by 10 points, 56-46, following two Paris Jamison free throws with under 15 minutes left in the second.

Alfred St. maintained a steady lead over the next 10 minutes, before Penn State Altoona threatened late in the period. A pair of three-pointers made by Sheetz cut the Pioneers' lead to five, 68-63, with 3:55 left. Abiah Charles (Orlando, FL/Wekiva) hit a three-pointer at 1:13, followed by a Sheetz layup with 51 seconds left that kept the difference at five points, 75-70. But Alfred St. continued to answer the Lions' scores with points of their own, and the Pioneers finished the game with an 81-72 victory.

Alfred St. finished with a 26-11 scoring advantage in points off turnovers. Penn State Altoona led 26-8 in bench points, 32-24 in points in the paint, and 11-4 in second chance points.

The Penn State Altoona men's basketball team is back in action Wednesday, February 7 at 7:30 p.m. on the road, as they take on AMCC opponent Carlow University.