AMCC Men's Basketball Game of the Week:
Penn State Altoona @ Penn State Behrend
Saturday, February 19 at 4:00pm
Video | Live Stats
The Penn State Behrend (12-3) men’s basketball team will host Penn State Altoona (13-2) on Saturday in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Game of the Week, as well as the regular-season finale to determine the rights to host the conference tournament. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.
Since its loss to Penn State Behrend in Altoona on January 15, the Penn State Altoona men’s basketball team has gone 7-1 – including six consecutive wins coming into Saturday’s game – to work its way into first place in the AMCC standings and assure itself at least a share of the conference’s regular season title. It has been an historic season of firsts for the Lions, including setting program records for the most overall wins, most AMCC wins, and best finish in the conference standings. The Lions also recently achieved their first-ever regional ranking. Next, the team will be in search of its first-ever win over Penn State Behrend in Erie to clinch the top seed heading into the conference tournament. Penn State Altoona continues to boast the top offense in the league, leading the AMCC in points per game (88.8) and field goal percentage (48.1). The Lions also have a conference-best five players averaging double-digit points per game marks: junior guard/forward Andruw Harman (13.9 ppg), junior guard Robbie Hicks (13.0 ppg), junior guard Saivon Word (11.9 ppg), freshman center PJ Charles (11.3 ppg), and freshman guard Varun Ajjarapu (10.4 ppg). Defensively, Penn State Altoona ranks third in the AMCC in points per game allowed (80.1), limits opponents to a league-low 29.0 percent three-point percentage, and leads the conference in blocks per game (4.2). Harman ranks fourth in the AMCC in rebounds per game (7.3), while Charles is sixth in the conference in boards per game (6.8).
The Lions are coming off their third loss in the last five games, falling to La Roche on Wednesday, 64-59. Prior to the start of the month, Behrend won 12-straight, spanning the entirety of December and January. Senior forward PJ Gourley ranks top-five in the conference in points per game (17.2), rebounds per game (8.1) and field-goal percentage (57.3). Senior guard Kenny Fukon sits sixth in the AMCC, averaging 16.9 points per game. Behrend is 37th in NCAA Division III in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 64.4 points on average. Sophomore guard Tommy DiRienzo has tallied double-digit point totals over his last seven games including 19 points against Alfred State during an 81-69 victory on February 9.
Behrend defeated Altoona in their previous matchup on January 15, 88-71. ll-time, the Behrend Lions hold the advantage in the series with a mark of 47-6-1. Dating back to 1999, Behrend has not lost to Altoona inside the Junker Center.