Brockport Tops Lions in Day Two of Panaggio Classic
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Penn State Altoona men's basketball team saw its eight-game winning streak snapped on Monday afternoon, when SUNY Brockport handed the Lions a 74-62 loss during day two of the Mauro Panaggio Classic at DME Academy.
The Lions (10-2) struggled from the field, hitting just 19 of 74 field goal attempts in the game. Penn State Altoona rallied from a double-digit deficit during the first half to take a one-point lead going into the locker room, but Brockport (7-2) outscored the Lions 40-27 during the second half to earn a 12-point decision.
"We ran into a very talented, well-coached, and seasoned team in Brockport today. After expelling so much time and energy getting the lead at halftime, I think we just finally ran out of gas, and that showed mainly in our shooting," said Penn State Altoona head coach David McGreal. "I thought we battled and battled, and we had 18 offensive boards and gave ourselves a ton of chances. But we couldn't hit that big shot to help get us going."
Mason Bush (Pittsburgh, PA/Seneca Valley) led Penn State Altoona in scoring by tying his season-high points output with 14, and he also led the Lions in rebounding with a season-best nine boards. Andruw Harman (Chesapeake, VA/Great Bridge) added 13 points and six rebounds.
PJ Charles (Altoona, PA/Altoona) totaled 11 points for the Lions, and Robbie Hicks (Rockledge, FL/Rockledge) had nine points. Saivon Word (Upper Marlboro, MD/Frederick Douglass) distributed a game-high seven assists.
Brockport's Devante Hagins finished with a game-high 20 points, and Jahidi Wallace totaled 18 points. David Grady recorded a double-double for the Golden Eagles with 16 rebounds and 14 points.
Monday's game followed a similar first half script to Sunday's contest against Piedmont, with the Lions overcoming an early deficit to keep things close by halftime.
Brockport constructed a 14-7 lead by the 15:18 mark, with back-to-back three-pointers from Mekhi Beckett and Brandon Kennedy-Gay turning a Golden Eagles' four-point lead into a 14-7 advantage. Four minutes later, Colby Jordan's three-pointer put Brockport ahead by 10 points, 23-13, and a Wallace jumper made it 27-16 at 8:39.
Penn State Altoona began to find its rhythm, however, and outscored Brockport 19-7 over the remainder of the period. Free throws from Bush and Charles helped get the Lions' deficit down to six points, 28-22, by the 6:13 mark, and a layup from Alex McClellan (York, PA/West York) made it a four-point game at 5:45. Another Bush foul shot and a Charles layup cut Brockport's lead to 28-27 by 4:03, and a last-second three-pointer from Casey Parkins (Laurel, MD/Atholton) put Penn State Altoona in front 35-34 at the intermission.
But Brockport responded with a strong defensive effort during the second half, limiting Penn State Altoona to 27 points. The Golden Eagles climbed back into the lead midway through the period and never relinquished their advantage.
Bush's layup and foul shot at 15:32 kept Penn State Altoona ahead by one, and Harman's layup at 14:14 gave the Lions a 42-41 lead. But a 9-0 run by Brockport, capped by Beckett's trey at 12:11, put the Golden Eagles in front, 50-42.
Charles converted on a three-point play at 9:06 with a layup and foul shot that brought Penn State Altoona to within six, 54-48. But Brockport answered with another run, outscoring the Lions 8-0 through the 4:51 mark, when Wallace's jumper gave his team a 14-point lead.
Varun Ajjarapu (Tampa, FL/Berkeley Prep) hit a three-pointer at the 58-second mark to help Penn State Altoona claw back to within six, 68-62. But the Lions were held off of the scoreboard for the rest of the period, and Beckett and Wallace combined for six free throws in the game's closing seconds.
"I can't say enough about how proud I am of this team. 10-2 in our first 12 games, and most importantly, 5-0 in-conference," said McGreal. "We're going to enjoy our last night in Florida, and then Christmas with our families, and get back to work. I want to thank all the fans that came and supported us in Florida. Go Lions!"
Penn State Altoona men's basketball finishes 2021 with a home non-conference game on Thursday, December 30, when the Lions will welcome Misericordia University to Adler Arena for a 2:00 p.m. game.
