HUNTINGDON, Pa. - Tommy DiRienzo (Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park) delivered his third 30-point game and seventh double-double of the season to propel the Penn State Behrend men's basketball team to an 81-64 victory over Saint Vincent in the Eastern Collegiate Conference (ECAC) Men's Basketball Quarterfinals Saturday afternoon.

Score: Penn State Behrend 81, Saint Vincent 64
Records: Penn State Behrend (21-7), Saint Vincent (23-5)

Key Moments:

* After trailing the Bearcats by six points at halftime (47-41), the Lions outscored Saint Vincent 40-17 in the second half, holding the Bearcats to only 16 percent (4-24) from the field
* Behrend started the second period on a 29-10 run in the first 10 minutes
* A Matthew McDonough (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) three-pointer would give the Lions their largest lead of the game (81-64) with 2:17 remaining and they would would eventually claim their 21st victory of the season to move on to the semifinals
* DiRienzo tied his season-high with 32 points on a career-high 15 field goals, while also collecting a game-high 10 rebounds
* McDonough finished with 17 points and five rebounds, while Michael Sopko (New Castle, PA/Neshannock) chipped in 10 points to go along with four rebounds
* Senior RJ Marsh (State College, PA/Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy) pulled down nine rebounds, while fellow senior Matt Niland (Erie, PA/Fairview) dished out a game-high six assists for the Lions
* Saint Vincent was led by Mike Iuzzolino's 16 points
* As a team, Behrend shot 54.1 percent (33-61) from the field, shooting 58.1 percent (18-31) in the second half. The Lions outscored the Bearcats in the paint (50-24) and in second chance points (13-5)
* This marks Behrend's first ECAC win since 2022 when the men's basketball program defeated Manhattanville (58-48) in the first round

Up Next:

* The Lions will battle the hosts Juniata in the ECAC semifinals tomorrow at 2 p.m.