by McKenzie Quirin

ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona men's basketball team took on Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Pitt-Bradford in Adler Arena on Wednesday night, and the Lions fell 89-75.

A second-half Penn State Altoona (9-15, 8-9 AMCC) push and multiple points on the board stemming from layups, free throws, a dunk and two three-pointers late in the game could not halt Pitt-Bradford (13-11, 9-8 AMCC) from leaving with the victory. The Lions trailed by as many as 18 points but whittled away at their deficit during the second half, but Penn State Altoona was unable to get enough stops on defense down the stretch to make up enough ground.

Three Lions' starters put up double-digit points on the night. Dwayne Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Greater Johnstown) led all players in the game with 23 points and 17 rebounds, tying his career-high in rebounds while notching his ninth double-double of the season. He also had a team-high four assists and game-high six blocks, tying for the fifth-most blocks in a game in team history.

Mason Bush (Pittsburgh, PA/Seneca Valley) and Justin Sheetz (Eldersburg, MD/Liberty) also contributed double-digits in points for the Lions in their loss. Bush finished his night with 15 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists with one block, while Sheetz had 10 points with two rebounds, one assist and one block.

Pitt-Bradford saw double-digit points from four out of their five starters and a reserve. Jesse Laster led the Panthers with 22 points, while Jamarion Butler and Xavion Boone Roberson tied with 15 points apiece. Keshon Kittrell ended the game with 12 points off the bench, and Gus Napoleon put up 11 points.

To start the first half, Sheetz got the Lions on the board at 19:56 from a layup to put Penn State Altoona up 2-0. The visitors got on the board next, as Pitt-Bradford put in an early three-pointer from Laster to give them a one-point advantage, leading 3-2. Jarrett Gardner's (Live Oak, FL/Suwannee) layup got the Lions back on top with a 4-3 lead. With five more quick points from a jump shot and a three-pointer, Butler and Trey Davis extended the Panthers' lead to 8-4. Penn State Altoona and Pitt-Bradford continued the back-and-forth scoring, with the Lions getting points when Jones made a jump shot, Gardner put in a pair of free throws and Jahmar White Yigo, Guam/St. Paul Christian School) added in a layup. But Pitt-Bradford was still able to take a 14-10 lead five minutes into the game.

White contributed two more points from a pair of free throws to give the Lions a two-point deficit, down 14-12. Two layups from Davis allowed Pitt-Bradford to enlarge their lead to six, but Abiah Charles (Orlando, FL/Wekiva) added two after making a layup, exactly a minute and 24 seconds after the Panthers' previous score. With Pitt-Bradford continuing to push offensively, the Panthers began to create a larger deficit for the Lions, as Roberson made two free throws and Butler put in a dunk. In the next two possessions for Penn State Altoona, Bush combined for five points from a pair of free throws and a big three-pointer to put the Lions within three, 22-19. As the clock hit 10 minutes in the first half, Pitt-Bradford's Laster made a layup to give them a lead of 24-19.

The Panthers found their footing, as they managed to increase their lead as time wound down for the first half. Pitt-Bradford ended the half up 50-36, despite several Penn State Altoona players putting up points for the home team in the latter stages of the period, including a three-pointer from Braelen Cage (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary).

Pitt-Bradford continued to push offensively as the second half started and progressed, while the Lions made a comeback attempt later in the game. Napoleon got the Panthers on the board first to start the second half, extending their total over the 50-point mark as they took a 53-36 lead. Sheetz quickly made a layup which added two to put Penn State Altoona's deficit at 15 points. Gardner's layup allowed the Lions to reach 40 points, while a layup from Jones cut their deficit to 11. Back-and-forth scoring between Penn State Altoona and Pitt-Bradford included layups and free throws, but Roberson managed to put in a three-pointer to give the Panthers an even larger lead, now 61-44.

Sheetz got himself a three-pointer at the 13:25 mark, as the Lions continued to trail, 61-47. Down 61-48, Bush managed to add to his point total with a layup to put Penn State Altoona's deficit at 11. The Lions' offense kept chipping away, again closing the gap to 11 on Jones' layup and foul shot at 9:18, then again on a Jones basket at 8:31 that made it 67-56.

But Pitt-Bradford's offense continued to respond with points over the rest of the game while getting a strong performance defensively, and the Panthers ended the game holding an 89-75 advantage.

Penn State Altoona men's basketball will host AMCC opponent La Roche University this Saturday, February 17 at 3 p.m. It will be the Lions' final regular season home game, and the team will honor its seniors for Senior Day.