Lions Outlast Alfred State in AMCC Game of the Week

ALFRED, N.Y. – The Penn State Behrend men's basketball team picked up a pivotal victory at Alfred State, 78-76, in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Game of the Week Wednesday night.

Score: Penn State Behrend 78, Alfred St. 76
Records: Penn State Behrend (18-6, 13-4 AMCC), Alfred St. (13-11, 11-6 AMCC)

Key Moments:

* For the second consecutive game it came down to the wire for the Penn State Behrend men's basketball team. However, this time the Lions were able to secure a win in regulation
* The Lions trailed Alfred State at the half by a score of 34-29
* Behrend stormed back in the second half, going on a 19-9 run to begin the period and take the lead (48-43). The run was capped off by a pair of made free throws from Mason Blankenberg (Ontario, NY/Wayne)
* However, the Pioneers would not go away quietly, retaking the lead (49-48) with 12:48 left
* For the next three minutes both teams would go back-and-forth with the lead as part of seven lead changes and four ties in Wednesday's contest
* With under a minute remaining, Alfred State possessed a one-point lead (73-72), but a pair of made free throws by Tommy DiRienzo (Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park) with 30 seconds remaining gave Behrend a one-point advantage (74-73)
* On the defensive end, DiRienzo came up with a steal that led to an RJ Marsh (State College, PA/Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy) and sealed the Lions 13^th conference win of the season
* One game after recording his season-high of 17 points, senior guard Matt Niland (Erie, PA/Fairview) set a new career-high with 22 points on 7-10 from the field and 4-6 from three
* Blankenberg and Matthew McDonough (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) each delivered 18 points, while Blankenberg pulled down eight rebounds off the bench
* DiRienzo was the final Behrend player to finish in double-figures, scoring 11 points to go along with five rebounds
* Marsh chipped in seven points and seven rebounds for the Lions
* Alfred State was led by Cody Schneider's game-high 23 points and nine rebounds. Michael Miller added 22 points and five assists for the Pioneers
* With this win, the Lions now sit in sole possession of second place in the conference standings with one regular season game remaining

Up Next:

* The Lions conclude regular season play at Wells on Saturday, Feb. 17. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.