Alfred, N.Y. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball was back in action on Tuesday night, as they traveled to Alfred for a non-conference matchup. The Panthers struggled to keep up with the Saxons as they fell 95-70.
The hosts started the game with a three-pointer just 11 seconds into the game, but the Panthers struck back quickly as Phillip Wallace and Nathan Schneider both made early layups to give the Panthers a 4-3 lead. Unfortunately, the lead did not last long as the Saxons retook the lead on the next possession, and took control for good as they scored 6 straight forcing the Panthers into a timeout. The Saxons continued their push after the timeout. As they equaled a Jeremy Rodriguez three with one of their own and pushed their lead to 13.
Alfred was leading the Panthers 35-17 with 6:23 to go in the half when the Panthers started a quick rally to cut into the lead. Alex Rodriguez started the run with a three from the wing and after a stop, Schneider made a putback layup to cut the lead to 13. Phillip Wallace hit a layup inside to get the deficit to 11, but Alfred responded with 6 in a row of their own to get their advantage back to 17 Their lead was 18 with 2 minutes to go when the Panthers closed the half on an 11-3 run. Schneider started the rally when he converted a four-point play after being fouled on a three-point attempt. Gus Napoleon answered a Saxon free throw to continue the rally and BJ Williams made a free throw, midrange jumper, and layup at the buzzer to send the game to halftime with the Panthers down 50-40.
After the break, the hosts came out firing, outscoring the Panthers 12-3 over the first 4 minutes of play. Lennon Lindholm made a three in the run for Pitt-Bradford as Alfred restored their 20-point lead. Lindholm and Napoleon made two threes to keep the Saxon lead around 20 points. The hosts were able to maintain this lead for the remainder of play with the lead reaching a high water mark of 28 with 2:03 remaining. Trayshon Tucker was able to hit a late three for the Panthers and Gavyn Mason closed the scoring with a pair of free throws in the final minute.
Nathan Schneider led the Panthers with 21 points. He shot 8-14 from the field and 2-4 from three. He also grabbed 8 rebounds. Phillip Wallace also reached double figures for the Panthers, finishing with 10 points. Gavyn Mason added 7 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.
The Panthers fall to 2-4 with the loss. They will have an extended break over the holiday weekend, as they have 2 weeks before their next game. Their next game will be on Tuesday, December 6th as they travel to Juniata for a road matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
