Alfred, N.Y. -- After a blistering hot first half, the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team withstood a 2nd half charge from Alfred State as they picked up a 92-85 road victory Wednesday evening.
The Panthers scored 53 points in the opening half, shooting 71.4% from the field, including 7-8 from three. They also had a strong defensive half, holding their hosts to 38 in the period to take a 15-point advantage to the break. For the third straight contest, the Panthers were unable to maintain their form in the 2nd half, as the Pioneers were able to whittle their lead down to just 4 points in the final minute. They were able to hold off the charge, making 6 straight free throws to close out the game.
Pitt-Bradford quickly jumped out to a lead in the game, outscoring Alfred State 16-2 in the first 6:25 of the game. Nathan Schneider and Jeremy Rodriguez got inside to make layups to start the scoring, and after a Pioneer basket, Pitt-Bradford scored 12 straight. Phillip Wallace and Caden Beldin each made layups to start the rally and then Schneider and Lennon Lindholm each connected from three on consecutive possessions. Schneider closed the rally on a layup after a feed from Wallace. Following a Pioneer three to end the streak, Wallace made a three of his own to match the hosts, but Alfred State followed with 5 straight to cut the lead to single digits. The Panthers maintained the lead for the majority of the half as each Pioneer rally was answered. The lead reached its high water mark of 17 on a Schneider three-point play with 3:15 left in the half. Schneider added 4 more free throws late in the half and Rodriguez and Beldin added layups in the last minute. Alfred State was able to hit a layup in the final seconds to send the game to the break with the Panthers up 53-38.
Jeremy Rodriguez kept the Panthers afloat early in the second half, as he scored eight of the first ten Panther points after the restart. The Panthers' second-half struggles began with about 17 minutes to go, as they were outscored 17-5 over the next 4:30 seeing their lead whittled down to just six points. Pitt-Bradford was able to respond to the rally, quickly pushing their lead back into double figures with seven unanswered. Wallace started the run, making a putback layup and after a Rodriguez free throw, B.J. Wallace and Schneider each made baskets inside to put the Panthers up 73-60 with 8:41 left. The Pioneers were able to stop the run with a layup inside, but Schneider seemed to put an exclamation point on the game as he was able to steal the ball in the front court and race down for a fast-break slam dunk.
The Panthers were able to maintain their double-digit lead for the next four minutes before the Pioneers made one final push. A Jeremey Rodriguez three gave the Panthers a 12-point lead, but Alfred State quickly scored four straight. Following a pair of Beldin free throws, the Pioneers cut the lead to 4 with a three-point play, a traditional three and a fast break layup with 47 seconds to go. Down the stretch, B.J. Williams stepped up and made six clutch free throws to put the game away.
Nathan Schneider led the Panthers with 25 points on the night, with 17 coming in the first half. He led the team in nearly every statistical category, registering 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocked shots. Along with a dominant performance from Schneider, four other Panthers were able to reach double figures. Jeremy Rodriguez made 6 of 8 from the field to score 13 points in his first career start. He also registered 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Caden Beldin set a career-high with 14 points, doing so in an efficient manner, making 5-6 from the field. Phillip Wallace battled foul trouble but was able to score 12 points and grab 6 rebounds in just 18 minutes of action. B.J. Williams scored 12 off the bench, including his clutch free throws to finish off the game.
The Panthers move to 8-8 on the season with a 2-3 record in AMCC play. They will return home for a crucial matchup with Pitt-Greensburg on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
