Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team picked up a crucial win against Pitt-Greensburg on Saturday afternoon, erasing a 7-point 2nd half deficit to defeat the Bobcats 89-89.
The Panthers got off to a slow start in the opening minute of play as the guests quickly took a 5-0 lead. Jeremy Rodriguez got the Panthers on the board with a midrange jumper and Nathan Schneider tied the game at 5 with a free throw and a driving layup. The Panthers took their first game at the 15:13 mark as Schneider fed Rodriguez for a layup and then stole the ball and raced down court for a fast break layup of his own. The Panthers eventually pushed their lead to 7 points as Gus Napoleon cut to the basket for a layup and then hit a three after a steal by Schneider. He answered 4 straight from the Bobcats with another long ball but his second three was followed by a 17-3 run which saw Pitt-Greensburg build a 35-26 lead.
With 1:43 to go, Trayshon tucker hit a corner jumper to end the Bobcat rally, and then Rodriguez was able to drive to the basket for a layup on the next possession. The Bobcats scored 4 quick points to push their lead back to 9 with under a minute to go in the quarter. On the next possession, Rodriguez was able to hit a three from the wing to cut the lead to six, leading to a quick Panther time-out. The Panthers were able to get a quick stop after the timeout as Schneider grabbed the rebound with 6 seconds left. He raced into the front court and lofted a high arching three at the buzzer which swished through the net to put the Panthers down three. He was also fouled on the play but was unable to hit the free throw to end the half.
After the Break, the Panthers were able to start the scoring as Caden Beldin made a tough putback layup. The Bobcats pushed their lead back to 7 over the next 2:20, before the Panthers scored 6 straight of their own. Napoleon made a pair of free throws and Jeremy Rodriguez was able to steal the ball away from the Bobcats and race to the basket for a layup. The Panthers were able to get another stop, and Schneider converted it into two points on a pull-up jumper to put the Panthers down 1. The Bobcats were able to stay in front of the Panthers for the next eight minutes before the Panthers went ahead at the 8-minute mark as Rodriguez hit a twisting reverse layup to make the score 66-65.
The visitors quickly answered with a layup of their own, but Phillip Wallace made a big three-pointer to put the Panthers ahead for good. On the next possession, Wallace grabbed two offensive rebounds and then was fouled on a third putback, which he was able to make and convert into a three-point play from the line. Pitt-Greensburg answered with a long three, but Schneider was able to cut to the basket for layups on back-to-back possessions. Napoleon added another field goal on a midrange jumper, and then pushed the lead to 8 with a pair of free throws. Down the stretch, the Panthers were able to make 9 of 11 from the free throw line to slow a last-minute Bobcat charge. The guests scored two layups in the last 5 seconds of play, but it was not enough to catch the Panthers.
Schneider led all scorers in the game with 31 points. He made 10-19 from the field and added 9 from the charity stripe. He also led the Panthers in rebounds with 8, assists with 4, and tallied 3 steals and 2 blocks. Gus Napoleon had a career night, scoring 21 points in 28 minutes off the bench. He made 7-10 from the field, 3-5 from deep, and added 4 from the line. Jeremy Rodriguez also set a new career high, as he scored 20 points in his 2nd game since moving to the starting five. He also registered 3 steals.
The Panthers move to 9-8 on the season and 3-3 in conference play. They are now in a tie for 4th place with Penn State-Behrend. They will hit the road again for their midweek matchup, as they head to Buffalo for another high-pressure matchup at Hilbert. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.
