ALTOONA, Pa. – In its final Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference game of the month, the Penn State Altoona men's basketball team clicked on all cylinders in a 112-85 victory over Pitt-Bradford in the Adler Arena on Saturday.

The result increases Penn State Altoona's (9-1, 5-0 AMCC) winning streak to a program-best seven games, building on what is already the Lions' best start to a season in team history.

"It's a great day to be a Lion. It was an amazing atmosphere and an amazing way to finish off the first portion of our conference schedule," said Penn State Altoona head coach David McGreal. "Today's win extends our program-best start and sets a new team record for most wins in a row, getting us to 9-1 heading into winter break. I cannot say enough about how proud I am of this team and our start."

Offense led the way for the Lions, whose total of 112 points is tied for the third-most in a single game in program history. Penn State Altoona also made 40 shots as a team, tying for the eighth-most field goals made in a game in team history, and the Lions' 58.0 percent field goal percentage is 12th-best in a single game.

Varun Ajjarapu (Tampa, FL/Berkeley Prep) put up a team-high 26 points for Penn State Altoona and tied for the team lead in assists with five helpers. Robbie Hicks (Rockledge, FL/Rockledge) added 19 points – including connecting on a game-high four three-pointers – five rebounds, and four assists.

Casey Parkins (Laurel, MD/Atholton) contributed a season-high 17 points for the Lions, and Andruw Harman (Chesapeake, VA/Great Bridge) totaled 15 points, tied for the game-high with seven rebounds, and added four assists and two blocks. Saivon Word (Upper Marlboro, MD/Frederick Douglass) had nine points and five assists, and Mason Bush (Pittsburgh, PA/Seneca Valley) had a game-high five steals while grabbing six boards.

"We have bought in to the team-first mentality, and it doesn't matter who's on the floor. We've been playing very well together," said McGreal. "With Alex [McClellan] out today, Casey and Varun picked up the slack and we didn't miss a beat."

Pitt-Bradford (5-4, 2-1 AMCC) got a game-high 32 points from Isaiah Archie. Greg Archie scored 16 points for the Panthers, and Nathan Schneider chipped in nine points.

"From the start, we had control of the flow of the game. Stopping their dribble penetration was key, and our main defensive goal was to try and limit their top two scorers, Isaiah Archie and Schneider," McGreal explained. "We were able to keep Schneider in single digits for the first time all year, but we didn't do quite as well of a job on Archie."

Ajjarapu's layup and three-pointers from Parkins and Hicks helped Penn State Altoona get out to an 8-2 lead three-and-a-half minutes into the first half. Pitt-Bradford closed the gap to two, 14-12, on Trey Oyler's three-pointer at 13:17, but Penn State Altoona responded with an 8-0 run to go up 22-12 after Harman's fastbreak dunk at 11:18. After Y'shua Bragg (Pittsburgh, PA/Carrick) hit a trey at 8:15, layups from Ajjarapu, Parkins, and Harman increased the Lions' advantage to 18 points, 36-18. Pitt-Bradford made up a little ground throughout the rest of the period, but Penn State Altoona still went into the locker room with a double-digit lead, 48-36.

The Lions' offense only got better in the second half, during which the team put 64 points on the scoreboard while shooting 60.6 percent from the floor. Penn State Altoona was also helped by a 20-for-26 showing at the free throw line during the game's final period.

An early layup and foul shot from Archie brought Pitt-Bradford back to within nine points, 48-39, but the visitors were unable to get any closer for the rest of the game, as Penn State Altoona expanded its lead. Ajjarapu's three-pointer at 14:17 boosted the Lions' lead to over 20 points for the first time, making it 74-52. The home team's largest lead of the day came at the 2:31 mark, when a driving layup by Emmanuel O'Donell (Mifflintown, PA/Juniata) put Penn State Altoona up 110-79.

By the game's end, 13 different players had scored points for Penn State Altoona. The Lions also capitalized in transition, outscoring Pitt-Bradford 37-22 in fastbreak points. Additionally, Penn State Altoona held a 27-13 scoring advantage over the Panthers in points off of turnovers.

Now, Penn State Altoona will dip back into non-conference play during winter break, as the Lions' next AMCC contest is not until January 8, when the team will host Hilbert College at home for a 3:00 p.m. game.

In the mean time, Penn State Altoona will travel to Daytona Beach, Fla. to compete in the Mauro Panaggio Classic, hosted by SUNY Brockport at DME Academy on Sunday, December 19 and Monday, December 20. The Lions will face Piedmont University at 12:00 p.m. in Sunday's matchup, then compete against host Brockport on Monday at 12:00 p.m.

"Next, we head down to Florida to play in a tough tournament, which is more of a reward for our guys for a great start," said McGreal. "We'll enjoy ourselves and come back in the second semester ready to work towards continuing our first half success."