Lions Set Scoring Record in Rout of Hilbert
ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona men's basketball team set a new program single-game scoring record on Saturday afternoon, when the Lions earned their seventh Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference win of the season with a 129-90 triumph over league opponent Hilbert College in Adler Arena.
Penn State Altoona (11-7, 7-1 AMCC) scored a whopping 74 points during the first half, en route to putting 129 points on the board to establish a new program record for the most points scored in a game. The team also set a new single-game record for the most three-pointers made, connecting from beyond the arc 22 times.
Penn State Altoona also made new marks in the program's single-game records by totaling the second-most field goals made (50), second-most assists (29), fourth-best field goal percentage (.633), fifth-best three-point field goal percentage (.629), and eighth-most blocks (10).
Six different Lion scorers finished in double figures, led by a pair of 20-plus-point efforts from Mason Bush (Pittsburgh, PA/Seneca Valley) and Robbie Hicks (Melbourne, FL/Rockledge). Bush led all players in the game with 26 points and four steals, and he hit 9-of-13 shots from the floor, including going 7-for-11 from three-point range. Hicks put up a season-high 25 points while dishing out five assists, and he was 10-for-15 from the field overall, including 5-for-9 from beyond the arc.
Jahmar White (Yigo, Guam/St. Paul Christian School) totaled a season-high 18 points and five assists, going 6-for-8 overall with a 4-for-5 mark from three-point range. Andruw Harman (Chesapeake, VA/Great Bridge) scored 17 points by going 7-for-9 from the floor, and he also led all players on the day with six assists and five blocks.
Saivon Word (Upper Marlboro, MD/Frederick Douglass) finished with 13 points, four assists, and two steals, and he shot 5-for-9 overall. Dwayne Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Greater Johnstown) was good on six of his seven attempts from the floor for 12 points while also tallying three blocks.
"Today was a great day to be an Altoona Lion. I'm so proud of this team and how we continue to get better and better each game. Today was a total team effort," said Penn State Altoona head coach David McGreal. "Mason and Robbie really led the way for the best three-point shooting in school history. We talked about how, when we share the ball, we usually get open looks and better shots, and that was on full display today. There were multiple team records being broken today, which had a direct correlation on our unselfishness and our defense."
Penn State Altoona forced 19 turnovers by Hilbert (8-10, 5-3 AMCC) while holding the Hawks to a 2-for-14 performance from three-point range. The visitors got 21 points from Quran Briggs, while Edward Perez finished with 14.
"We did a great job shutting down their best player and had a better performance on the boards compared to last time we played them," said McGreal. "It also helps when you don't allow the other team to shoot 44 free throws."
Penn State Altoona never trailed, starting the game on an 11-0 run that included a trio of three-pointers by Bush and a PJ Charles (Altoona, PA/Altoona) layup. Word's layup at the 8:38 mark boosted the Lions' lead to 20 points, 37-17, and White hit two three-pointers and a layup in the span of three possessions to put the home team up 72-39 with 57 seconds left in the half.
Up 74-45 at halftime, Penn State Altoona added on during the second half. Jones' slam at 13:36 got the Lions' lead up to 34 points, and Hicks' layup 33 seconds later made it 98-62. Back-to-back threes by Hicks put Penn State Altoona over the century mark, increasing the score to 104-62. Bush hit another three-pointer at 8:41 to give the Lions their largest lead of the afternoon, 44 points, 114-70. Harman's trey at 6:52 kept the difference at 44, making it 117-73, and the Lions sailed to their sixth straight victory.
Penn State Altoona outscored Hilbert 34-19 in points off of turnovers, as well as 39-19 in fastbreak situations.
Next up, the Lions face nearby AMCC rival Mount Aloysius College on the road this Wednesday, February 1, heading to Cresson for a 7:00 p.m. matchup with the Mounties.
"Now, moving on to our local rivalry on Wednesday, we have to hopefully continue with this roll we're on and build upon these big wins," said McGreal.
