ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona men's basketball team ended the calendar year with a non-conference loss on Monday afternoon, when McDaniel College handed the Lions a 62-60 defeat in the Adler Arena.

Penn State Altoona (6-6) worked its way out to a 32-28 halftime lead, helped by going 5-for-8 from three-point range in the opening period. But McDaniel (9-1) surged ahead in the second half, limiting the Lions to 28 points in the period and hanging on for the victory.

"Tough loss against a really tough opponent from a really tough conference," said Penn State Altoona head coach David McGreal. "I'm proud of the way we played in the first half, particularly defensively, as we did a good job of shutting down their two best guys. But in the second half, we had a stretch where we couldn't throw it in the ocean. We missed layups and free throws, and McDaniel took advantage."

Penn State Altoona's Kal-El Gentles (Austin, TX/San Juan Diego) had team highs with 11 points and eight rebounds to go along with three assists and three steals. Dwayne Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Greater Johnstown) contributed 10 points and a game-best four blocks.

Mason Kargo (Portage, PA/Portage) added nine points and a team-high four steals, and Michael Baskerville (Damascus, MD/Damascus) provided nine points off the bench for the Lions.

McDaniel got a game-high 18 points from Jonas Sujeta. David Kearney contributed 13 points and six rebounds for the Green Terror, and Chuck Contee scored 10.

Jones' dunk at 17:35 put Penn State Altoona on the board, before Gentles' three-pointer and layup gave the Lions a 7-4 lead two minutes later. Kargo connected on a three-pointer at 15:06 to put the home team ahead 10-8.

McDaniel responded by outscoring Penn State Altoona 10-2 over the next six minutes, with Sujeta's basket at 9:16 giving the Green Terror an 18-12 advantage. But the Lions used a 9-0 run to jump in front, 21-18, after getting six points from Kargo and a trey from Jalen Martinez (Brooklyn, NY/New Hope Academy). Jones and Elliot Johansson (Stockholm, Sweden/Tibble Gymnasium) each made a pair of baskets over the next several minutes to set the Lions' lead at 29-25, and a late Baskerville three-pointer put the Penn State Altoona lead at 32-28 by the break.

Penn State Altoona opened the second half scoring with back-to-back three-pointers from Kaden Claar (Portage, PA/Portage) and Nehemiah Frye (King George, VA/King George) that made it a 10-point game, and two Gentles foul shots at 16:27 kept the home team's advantage at 10, 40-30.

However, McDaniel outscored the Lions 16-4 over the next five minutes, taking a 46-44 lead on Mikey Ayala, Jr.'s three-pointer. The Green Terror grew its lead, increasing it to 56-46 on an Ashen Stuart trey at the 8:20 mark, then making it 58-46 on a pair of Kevin Connelly free throws at 7:41.

Penn State Altoona chipped away at its deficit, trimming it to 60-53 following a Zion Bruce (Kihei, HI/Maryknoll) three-pointer and layups from Baskerville and Gentles. Claar hit a jumper with 1:03 remaining to keep the difference at seven, 62-55, and the Lions converted late steals into points with baskets from Baskerville and Jones that cut the McDaniel lead to just three, 62-59, with 11 seconds to play. Penn State Altoona forced another turnover and picked up a free throw from Claar to make it a two-point game, but the Lions were unable to connect on a last-second shot attempt, and McDaniel escaped with the tight win.

"I'm proud of the guys for not giving up and fighting back to even have a chance to tie at the buzzer. It showed we are not going to give up and keep fighting to the end," said McGreal. "Now, it's time to enjoy the new year and get ready to embark on our fun, strong AMCC schedule. We need everybody out at 5:30 next Wednesday."

With its non-conference schedule now complete for the 2024-25 season, the Penn State Altoona men's basketball team will focus on Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference play for the rest of its schedule, starting with a home game against league foe Penn State Behrend next Wednesday, January 8, at 5:30 p.m.