Altoona Wins Wild AMCC Opener

Penn State Altoona defeated Alfred State 106-95 in a wild AMCC opener on Sunday afternoon. The game featured five leads changes and four ties.

The Lions came out of the gate fast and built a 26-8 advantage in the first eight minutes of the game. Alfred State fought back and tied the game at 47-47 with just under three minutes left in the 1st half. They ended the half on a 10-5 run and led by five, 57-52 at the break.

Alfred State (3-4, 0-1 AMCC) built their lead to eight early in the 2nd half but Altoona rallied to take back and took a 61-60 advantage with 15:44 remaining. The game was tight the rest the way and a pair of Josh Romero (Bronx/Theodore Roosevelt) free throws tied the game at 88-88 with just under three minutes left. The Lions went on a 9-0 run to take control and made their foul shots down the stretch the seal the game.

Josh Reding (Spencerport) led the Pioneers with 21 points and four assists as five players finished in double-figures. Basheem Wilkerson (Brooklyn/John Jay) had 13 off the bench, Paris Jamison (Brooklyn/East Side Community) and Ryan Rosa (Middletown) both finished with 12, and Tavion Williams (Bronx/FDA) had 11 points and nine boards.

Alfred State was 37 for 76 from the field, 7 for 25 from three, and 14 for 23 from the foul line. They held a slight 37 to 34 advantage on the boards.

Robbie Hicks led Altoona (5-1, 1-0 AMCC) with 29 points on 10 for 14 shooting. Saivon Word finished with 18, Casey Parkins had 14, and PJ Charles and Alex McClellan both chipped in 12. Charles led all players with 13 boards. Andrew Harman also finished in double-figures with 10.

Altoona was 33 for 53 from the field, 6 for 13 from three, and 34 for 45 from the foul line on the day.

Alfred State has a few days off before hosting Pitt Bradford on on December 8. Opening tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.