STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – Penn State Altoona men's basketball fended off a second half comeback attempt by Franciscan University on Wednesday evening to post an 85-75 victory in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference matchup in Finnegan Fieldhouse.

Penn State Altoona (12-5, 8-5 AMCC) led by as many as 24 points during the second half, but Franciscan (6-11, 5-8 AMCC) clawed back to get within six in the latter stages of the game. But, down the stretch, the Lions earned the road win by coming up with some key defensive stops and taking advantage of scoring points opportunities.

"Very proud of our effort tonight and being able to come out with another conference road win in a very hostile environment and against a very talented team," said Penn State Altoona head coach David McGreal. "Our first half was one of the best defensive halves we have played all season. We held their two best shooters [Travis Lien and Sean Hickey] to 0-for-9 combined from three-point range, and our big men contested every shot and blocked a ton."

Jack Kusters (Quakertown, PA/Lansdale Catholic) led all scorers in the game, tying his career-high point total by putting up 27 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists. Kusters went 10-for-14 from the field, including going 7-for-8 from three-point range. His three-point percentage of 87.5 percent sets a new Penn State Altoona men's basketball single game record, and his total of seven made threes is tied for the fifth-most three-pointers made in a single game in team history.

Andruw Harman (Chesapeake, VA/Great Bridge) had his fifth double-double of the season, grabbing a season-best 17 rebounds while scoring 16 points. His total of 17 rebounds is tied for the eighth-most rebounds in a game in Penn State Altoona men's basketball history. Harman also had five blocks, four assists, and a team-high three steals.

"Offensively, Jack was on his 'A' game tonight, and Druw was super aggressive and made a lot of plays down the stretch," said McGreal. "Hats off to Franciscan for coming back and pushing us to the brink. But every time that they got within two possessions, Jack made a big shot to keep them at bay."

Cameron Gardner-Nicholson (Philadelphia, PA/Boys' Latin Charter) added 12 points, six rebounds, a game-high six blocks, and three assists. Gardner-Nicholson's six blocked shots is tied for the third-most blocks in a game in Lions basketball history.

As a team, Penn State Altoona's total of 12 blocks ranks as the fourth-most blocks in a game in men's basketball program history.

Robbie Hicks (Rockledge, FL/Rockledge) added nine points, five rebounds, and two assists off the bench, while Alex McClellan (York, PA/West York) also scored nine points off the bench. Trey Butterworth (Clarence, PA/Bald Eagle) led all players in the game with six assists.

Franciscan had double-digit point totals from five players, led by Matt Trent's 16-point showing. Travis Lien scored 13 points, Joe Schriner added 11, and Sean Hickey and Justin Mack chipped in 10 points apiece for the Barons.

A Kusters three-pointer, Harman dunk, and Austin Krise (Allport, PA/West Branch) layup helped Penn State Altoona start the first half by getting out to a 7-3 lead. Another Kusters trey and a Harman layup made it 14-10 by 14:37, and Gardner-Nicholson's layup at 12:20 kept the Lions up by three points, 18-15.

Jump shots by Nate Gillen (Johnstown, PA/Central Cambria) and Butterworth helped Penn State Altoona increase its lead to seven, 25-18, by 9:08. Clevon Scott (Raeford, NC/Hoke County) hit a three-pointer at 4:45 to give the Lions a 34-25 lead, and McClellan's layup at 3:17 made it 36-25. Two more layups by Kusters and McClellan, along with Hicks' trey, got the Lions to a 43-28 halftime lead.

Penn State Altoona increased its lead to more than 20 points early in the second half. Gardner-Nicholson's layup and another triple by Kusters made it 48-30 just over a minute into the period, and two foul shots by Gardner-Nicholson at 16:14 put the Lions up 50-30. Baskets from Kusters and Hicks extended the advantage to 24 points, 54-30, by 15:13.

Franciscan whittled away at Penn State Altoona's lead over the next several minutes, however. Scores by Hickey and Lien brought the Barons back to within 10 points at 9:08, and Hickey's three-pointer at 8:38 cut the Lions' lead to seven, 60-53. A three-pointer from Lien and layup by Hickey brought Franciscan to within six points, 69-63, by the 5:52 mark. Schriner's jump shot at 4:09 kept the difference at six, 71-65.

But defensive stops and free throws helped the Lions pull out the win. Penn State Altoona limited Franciscan to 10 points in the final four minutes of the game, while Gardner-Nicholson, Harman, McClellan, and Gillen combined to make 10 free throws, and McClellan and Harman also added layups.

Penn State Altoona posted statistical advantages over Franciscan in rebounds (48-46), assists (22-17), points in the paint (40-34), fastbreak points (25-13), and bench points (24-21).

"Everyone who played tonight played well and contributed, and we're very happy to get out of there with a win," said McGreal. "Now, we've got to get some revenge on Medaille this weekend as we celebrate Sideline Cancer Day this Saturday at 2:00 p.m."

Men's basketball returns home to the Adler Arena this Saturday, February 1, when the Lions will take on AMCC opponent Medaille College in a game starting at 2:00 p.m. It is also Sideline Cancer Day, as representatives from The Griffith Family Foundation will be in attendance to promote cancer awareness.