by Casey Burinskas

PITTSBURGH – The Penn State Altoona men's basketball team took on first-year Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Carlow University on Wednesday night in the Donahue Pavilion, and the Lions swept the season series with the Celtics by posting an 83-74 victory.

After fending off Carlow (4-18, 2-13 AMCC) in a close game for much of the night, Penn State Altoona (9-13, 8-7 AMCC) pulled away late in the second half to ice the win. Holding a five-point lead with eight minutes to play, Penn State Altoona boosted its advantage to 15 points by the 2:49 mark, and the visitors went on to win by nine.

Dwayne Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Greater Johnstown) had a team-high total of 20 points while grabbing seven rebounds and blocking a game-high three shots. Jahmar White (Yigo, Guam/St. Paul Christian School) followed closely behind with a total of 15 points to go along with five rebounds and a game-high total of seven assists. Mason Bush (Pittsburgh, PA/Seneca Valley) put up 13 points for the Lions.

Jarrett Gardner (Live Oak, FL/Suwannee) held the title for the most rebounds for Altoona, totaling eight and also landing seven points. Abiah Charles (Orlando, FL/Wekiva) and Elliot Johansson (Stockholm, Sweden/Tibble Gymnasium) each scored nine points off the bench.

Carlow was led in scoring by Byron Gaskins, who finished with a game-high 25 points.

To start off the first half, the Lions were able to place their first points on the board by a Gardner layup. Following that, Jones put five more points up with a three-pointer and a two-point jump shot to give the Lions their first advantage of the game. The Lions threatened to run away with the lead with a three-pointer from White, a layup by Justin Sheetz (Eldersburg, MD/Liberty), and a layup by Jones that made it 14-9. With two free throws from Gardner and another one from Jones, Altoona held the lead by four, 17-13. At the 11-minute mark, after entering the game shortly before, Charles came in strong by making a layup and landing a three-pointer, followed a minute later by his jump shot to add to the Lions' lead, making it 26-18. Starting at the 4:50 mark, Bush put in two consecutive three-pointers to bring the Lions to a now nine-point advantage, 32-23, with four minutes left in the half. Carlow went on an 8-0 run to make it a one-point game with just under two minutes remaining, but with a three-point jump shot from White, a layup from Jones, and a final layup from Michael Baskerville (Damascus, MD/Damascus), the Lions were able to keep the lead going into the half with a score of 39-33, Altoona.

Coming back into the second half, Gardner made a layup to continue the Lions' scoring, followed by another jump shot from White. Bush was also quick to jump into the action with a three-pointer that put Penn State Altoona up 46-41 at 17:17. Carlow was able to bring the score back to a tie, 48-48, but Jones made a layup with 13:36 left in the half, followed by Sheetz landing a free throw, to bring the Lions back into the lead. Narrowing down to 11 minutes on the clock, Charles made a layup, followed by a Sheetz layup at 9:04, as the Lions continued to hold off the Celtics, 59-53. With just under seven minutes left in the game, White made a steal and got the ball to Johansson, who made a three-point jump shot to give the Lions a 10-point advantage, 67-57. Next, Altoona got layups by Johansson and Bush that brought the score to 71-59, Lions. Three-pointers by Johansson and White helped Penn State Altoona to a 15-point advantage, 79-64, its largest lead of the game, with 2:49 remaining. Closing out the game, Bush was able to make two free throws, and a dunk by Jones brought the game to a close with a score of 83-74. 

Next on the radar, the men's basketball team will face off against AMCC opponent Penn State Behrend on Saturday, February 10, at 4 p.m. for the Lions' annual Sideline Cancer Day.